Ilex opaca 'Fallaw'

Ilex opaca, the American holly, is the classic evergreen holly of the eastern woods, a medium-size tree with tough, leathery, spine-edged leaves and, on female trees, the bright berries that have meant Christmas for generations. 'Fallaw' keeps the familiar form but changes the color of the fruit: where the wild tree ripens red, this selection hangs clear amber-yellow berries, an uncommon and cheerful contrast against the dark evergreen foliage.

The name opaca means dull or opaque, a nod to the matte, un-glossy surface of the American holly's leaf, which sets the species apart from the lacquered Asian and English hollies. Native across the eastern United States, from Massachusetts to Florida and west to Texas, the tree grows on well-drained woodland soils and has long been one of the most widely planted native evergreens, valued for dense form, winter berries, and the wildlife the fruit feeds.

Seedling American hollies vary enormously, in leaf, in form, and in fruit, so gardeners have long relied on named clones for the best plants, and 'Fallaw' is a good one. This yellow-fruited selection was found many years ago on the Fallaw farm near Batesburg, South Carolina, and propagated to keep the amber-berried trait true. As a female clone, the plant needs a male American holly in range to set that unusual crop.

Slow and long-lived, 'Fallaw' builds into a fine pyramidal specimen for a lawn, a woodland edge, or a tall evergreen screen, and the yellow berries make a memorable change in a holiday arrangement. Give the tree full sun to part shade and moist, acidic, well-drained soil, and set a male holly nearby for fruit. Birds take the berries through winter, so a stand does double duty as evergreen structure and a wildlife feeder.