Ilex verticillata ‘Red Sprite’ (Winterberry ‘Red Sprite’)

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Ilex verticillata ‘Red Sprite’

Winterberry ‘Red Sprite’, winterberry, American winterberry

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Aquifoliales	Hollies and some fairly obscure genera
Family	Aquifoliaceae	Holly family
Genus	Ilex	Latin for “holly oak” (rather than holly!)
Species	verticillata	From Latin verticillus, “whorled”
Cultivar	‘Red Sprite’

About plant names...

Winterberry, a type of holly, is common in Eastern North America. This cultivated variety is not found in the wild. It is also known as Ilex verticillata 'Nana'.

Identification: This winterberry cultivar is a hardy, deciduous, multiple-stemmed shrub 30-36" (76-91 cm) tall and 30-36" (76-91 cm) around. It is smaller than the native variety, and considered a dwarf. It has gray branches with large white patches. Leaves are 1½-3" (3.8-7.6 cm) × ¾-1¼" (1.9-3.2 cm), elliptical in shape, with slight serrations. Small white ⅛" (5 mm) flowers have five to eight petals. Round bright red fruits, ¼" (6.3 mm) in diameter, persist through much of the winter. The fruits form in clusters or whorls around the stems, and they are very abundant on 'Red Sprite.' Winterberries prefer wetlands.

Winterberries are dioecious—that is, they have separate male and female plants. In gardens, both sexes must be present for pollination to produce fruiting. This 'Red Sprite' variety is a female, and requires pollination by a male variety such as Ilex verticillata 'Jim Dandy'.

Online References:

The Missouri Botanical Garden

The University of Connecticut Plant Database

BackyardGardener.com