DACF Home → Bureaus & Programs → Maine Natural Areas Program → Communities, Plants, and Animals → Rare Plants → Ilex glabra
Ilex glabra (L.) Gray
Ink-berry
- State Rank: S1
- Global Rank: G5
- State Status: Endangered
Habitat: Low sandy or peaty soils. [Coastal non-tidal wetland (non-forested, wetland)]
Range: Florida to Louisiana, north to Massachusetts. Disjunct populations in Maine and Nova Scotia.
Aids to Identification: This shrub, a member of the Holly family, can be distinguished by several characteristics: leathery, evergreen leaves that are punctate on the underside; twigs that are ashy with tiny hairs; flowers on long peduncles (stalks); black fruits which are firm and not pulpy.
Ecological characteristics: The single known occurrence of this rare plant in Maine grows around the perimeter of a coastal sphagnum bog.
Phenology: Flowers late June - August.
Family: Aquifoliaceae
Synonyms: None noted.
Known Distribution in Maine: This rare plant has been documented from a total of 1 town(s) in the following county(ies): Knox.
Reason(s) for rarity: Disjunct from principal range.
Conservation considerations: Maintain hydrologic integrity of its bog habitat.