July 1, 2011
Winterberry, Ilex verticillata
The flowers of the Winterberry are tiny and white, but the fruit are large and bright red, a much easier clue for identification. The identity of a large specimen on the north side of the Pond eluded me for a while because it never had fruit, even though the leaves looked familiar. In the spring I finally looked closely at the flowers (shown here), and realized that they were all male. Winterberries are dioecious: the bushes are either male or female. Only the females bear fruit.