American Holly Ilex opaca (limited availability)

Medium-sized | Evergreen | Height: 40-60 ft.| Spread: 10-20 ft.

The American Holly is an evergreen species that grows best as an understory tree or shrub in moist, deciduous forests in the central and southeastern United States. (A gorgeous specimen of this tree can be seen on the 1700 block of downtown Columbia.) It grows best in partial shade to full sun. It has smooth, grey bark with dark green, non-glossy, spine-tipped leaves. The evergreen leaves and fruits on female plants are fragrant and give your winter garden a pop of color. Please note that if berries and blooms are desired on the female tree, there must be a male tree close by (within about 200ft). 

While the fruits are poisonous to humans, many songbirds and mammals eat the bitter berries including robins, cedar waxwings, bluebirds, wrens, squirrels, opossums, and raccoons. The species is also a larval host plant for Henry's Elfin. 
To read more about the growing conditions and general information on this species, visit https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ilex-opaca/.