Weeping Yaupon
Holly
Ilex
vomitoria ‘Pendula’
INTRODUCTION
Weeping Yaupon Holly makes a very distinct, irregular,
weeping form with its upright crooked trunks and slender, curved,
pendulous branches clothed with small, oval, grey-green foliage
. Many nursery operators produce this tree with several
trunks in a clump. Capable of reaching 30 feet or more in height,
Weeping Yaupon Holly is most often seen 15 to 20 feet tall
with a spread of only 6 to 12 feet. Old plants will spread
to 25 feet. The inconspicuous male and female flowers appear
on separate plants and are followed in fall and winter by a
spectacular display of the translucent red berries which attract
wildlife. The flowers attract bees for several weeks. Purchase
plants with berries on them (females) if you want a berryproducing
tree.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Scientific name: Ilex vomitoria ‘Pendula’
Pronunciation: EYE-lecks vom-ih-TOR-ee-uh
Common name(s): Weeping Yaupon Holly
Family: Aquifoliaceae
USDA hardiness zones: 7 through 9
Origin: native to North America
Uses: Bonsai; container or above-ground planter; large parking
lot islands (> 200 square feet in size); wide tree lawns (>6
feet wide); medium-sized parking lot islands (100-200 square feet
in size); medium-sized tree lawns (4-6 feet wide); recommended
for buffer strips around parking lots or for median strip plantings
in the highway; near a deck or patio; screen; small parking lot
islands (< 100 square feet in size); narrow tree lawns (3-4
feet wide); specimen; residential street tree; tree has been successfully
grown in urban areas where air pollution, poor drainage, compacted
soil, and/or drought are common
Availability: generally available in many areas within
DESCRIPTION
Height: 15 to 30 feet
Spread: 6 to 12 feet
Crown uniformity: irregular outline or silhouette
Crown shape: upright; weeping
Crown density: open
Growth rate: medium
Texture: fine
Foliage
Leaf arrangement: alternate
Leaf type: simple
Leaf margin: crenate; serrulate
Leaf shape: ovate
Leaf venation: banchidodrome; pinnate; reticulate
Leaf type and persistence: evergreen
Leaf blade length: less than 2 inches
Leaf color: green
Fall color: no fall color change
Fall characteristic: not showy
Flower
Flower color: white
Flower characteristics: inconspicuous and not showy; spring flowering
Fruit
Fruit shape: round
Fruit length: < .5 inch
Fruit covering: fleshy
Fruit color: red
Fruit characteristics: attracts birds; attracts squirrels and other
mammals; no significant litter problem; persistent on the tree;
showy
Trunk and Branches
Trunk/bark/branches: bark is thin and easily damaged from mechanical
impact; droop as the tree grows, and will require pruning for
vehicular or pedestrian clearance beneath the canopy; routinely
grown with, or trainable to be grown with, multiple trunks;
not particularly showy; no thorns Pruning requirement: needs
little pruning to develop a strong structure
Breakage: resistant
Current year twig color: gray
Current year twig thickness: thin
Culture
Light requirement: tree grows in part shade/part sun; tree grows
in full sun
Soil tolerances: clay; loam; sand; acidic; alkaline; extended flooding;
well-drained
Drought tolerance: high
Aerosol salt tolerance: high
Other
Roots: surface roots are usually not a problem
Winter interest: tree has winter interest due to unusual form,
nice persistent fruits, showy winter trunk, or winter flowers Outstanding
tree: tree has outstanding ornamental features and could be planted
more
Invasive potential: seeds itself into the landscape
Verticillium wilt susceptibility: not known to be susceptible
Pest resistance: long-term health usually not affected by pests
USE AND MANAGEMENT
The tree is best used as an accent or specimen due to its unusual
form, but planted about 8 to 10 feet apart makes a nice screen
in the full sun. As the tree grows older next to a sidewalk
or patio, lower branches can be removed to allow for pedestrians
to pass beneath. A sturdy North American native, Weeping Yaupon
Holly is adaptable to a wide range of cultural conditions,
from well-drained to wet, acid to alkaline, and sun to part-shade.
It is very tolerant of drought and sea salt, and is one of
the most durable and adaptable of the small-leaved evergreen
Hollies for use in southern landscapes. Light pruning may be
necessary to maintain shape, but unlike the species it requires
less maintenance because it does not sprout from the roots.
Propagation is by cuttings.
Pests
Scale, leaf miners, mites, aphids appear to form a long list of
problems, but none are normally serious.
Diseases
No diseases are of major concern.
by Edward F. Gilman and Dennis G. Watson
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