The Dawes Arboretum

Common name: gallberry, inkberry

Family: Aquifoliaceae (holly family)

Distribution: Coastal Plain of e. North America

IUCN Red list: Least concern

Hardiness: USDA Zone 4

Life form: Evergreen shrub

Comments: A compact, rounded evergreen shrub, growing to around 6' tall and wide. Foliage consists of simple, alternate leaves which are lustrous and dark green year-round. Tiny yellow-white flowers open in the leaf axils in May. Female plants, in the presence of a suitable male pollinator, produce blue-black fruit. Fruits, though hidden by the leaves, will persist well into winter. Plant in full sun in rich, moist, slightly acid soil.