Evergreen shrub to small tree to 15 m or more tall. Young shoots green or purple. Leaves alternate, simple, oblong-elliptic, to about 10 cm long and 4 cm wide, hard and leathery, glossy above, margins generally wavy, with 5-9 prominent teeth but sometimes entire in upper branches. Flower clusters axillary, mostly of (1)3 flowers; autumn. Petals 4, white or occasionally pink. Fruit roundish, about 0.6-1 cm wide, red when mature (except in some cultivars).

I. ×meserveae S.Y. Hu, Blue Holly (Meserve Holly), is a hybrid, I. aquifolium × I. rugosa, and is occasionally available. It is an evergreen shrub 2-3 m tall with leaves blue-green, spiny, rather like a small-leaved I. aquifolium but bluish, fruit red. The original cross was made by Mrs F. Leighton Meserve of Long Island, New York, USA, and named in 1970. 'Blue Prince' is a taller male clone with purplish stems, leaves ovate-oblong, to 6 cm long, 3 cm wide, deep blue-green, glossy, fruit not produced. 'Blue Angel' is a slow growing female clone with dark purple stems and red fruits; it was derived from the cross (I. aquifolium × I. rugosa) × I. aquifolium. I. aquifolium is the most familiar and popular holly, grown for the spiny, leathery, glossy (sometimes variegated) leaves and attractive berries around Christmas time in Europe. Cultivars other than those listed below may be found in old gardens.

Europe. Naturalised in the Blue Mtns of NSW and S Lofty Ranges of SA.

VIC: Daylesford (Bot. Gds).

Source: Spencer, R. (2002). Aquifoliaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 3. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 2. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.