“Ilex ‘bush’”

When we moved into our first house many years ago, we were veritable kids. In our front yard we had a couple of fast-growing maple trees, but what did we know about trimming trees and bushes? Once when Clare's parents arrived for a visit, they asked us if we wanted them to trim our "maple bushes" for us. Indeed. So began the next phase of our yard-work education!

On my way to physical therapy recently, I noticed these trees full of beautiful, red fruit, so today I stopped for a few photos. I'm sure they're in the apple or crab apple genus of Malus (in the rose family, Rosaceae), but it looks like this "apple bush" in the front needs some trimming.

Turns out this is in the Ilex genus, “Ilex decidua”; a common name is “Possum Haw.” Here is a photo in PhytoImages of a tree on SIUC's campus with a similar appearance, http://phytoimages.siu.edu/imgs/paraman1/r/Aquifoliaceae_Ilex_decidua_18489.html

Species page at PhytoImages, http://phytoimages.siu.edu/cgi-bin/dol/dol_terminal.pl?taxon_name=Ilex_decidua&rank=binomial

1 year ago (“Attitudes *will* be adjusted!”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2014-12-20
2 years ago (“Jeanne & Raymond”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2013-12-20
3 years ago (“Poinsettia”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2012-12-20
4 years ago (“A ‘spiritual’ row”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2011-12-20

[ DSCN9579S9x12Utm :: P&S ]

[Jane Anderson]

The red leaves are quite showy!

[Thom Mitchell]

@cejaanderson Except that they're "fruit" (little berries). See http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2014-11-01