Inkberry
Scientific name: Ilex glabra
Commonly called inkberry or gallberry, this is a slow-growing, upright-rounded, stoloniferous, broadleaf evergreen shrub in the holly family. It has numerous sprouts from thic, heavy tuberous rhizomes, forming clusters and extensive dense, colonial thickets. It typically matures to 5-8’ tall. It is native to the coastal plain from Nova Scotia to Florida to Louisiana where it is most commonly found in sandy woods and peripheries of swamps and bogs. This plant is moderately salt tolerant.
Leaves
Leaves are alternate, simple, spineless, flat, ovate to elliptic, glossy, shiny and dark green leaves (to 1.5 inches long) and a little lighter and dull beneath. They have smooth margins with several marginal teeth near the apex. Leaves usually remain attractive in winter unless temperatures dip well below zero.
Fruit
Fruit is approximately ¼ inch diameter, nearly black, shiny; the seeds are smooth. The common name is in reference to the dark blue-black fruits.
Flowers
The Inkberry has greenish white flowers (male in cymes and female in cymes or single) that appear in spring, but are relatively inconspicuous. They are borne on separate plants. If pollinated, female flowers give way to pea-sized, jet black, berry-like drupes (inkberries to 3/8 inches diameter) which mature in early fall and persist throughout winter to early spring, unless consumed by local bird populations.
Good to Know
Inkberry can be used for erosion control, watershed protection, and phosphate mine reclamation. It is included in listings of potential new crops for Australia as a source of beverage — presumably desirable for its caffeine.
Gallberry honey is a highly-rated honey that results from bees feeding on inkberry flowers. This honey is locally produced in certain parts of the Southeastern U.S. in areas where beekeepers release bees from late April to early June to coincide with inkberry flowering time. Dried and roasted inkberry leaves were first used by Native Americans to brew a black tea-like drink, hence the sometimes used common name of Appalachian tea for this shrub.
All Ilex species may be somewhat toxic if ingested.
Habitat
Inkberry is shade tolerant and grows in both sunny and shaded habitats, on dry to wet sites, and on sandy to heavier peaty soils.
Leaves
Leaves are alternate, simple, spineless, flat, ovate to elliptic, glossy, shiny and dark green leaves (to 1.5 inches long) and a little lighter and dull beneath. They have smooth margins with several marginal teeth near the apex. Leaves usually remain attractive in winter unless temperatures dip well below zero.
Fruit
Fruit is approximately ¼ inch diameter, nearly black, shiny; the seeds are smooth. The common name is in reference to the dark blue-black fruits.
Flowers
The Inkberry has greenish white flowers (male in cymes and female in cymes or single) that appear in spring, but are relatively inconspicuous. They are borne on separate plants. If pollinated, female flowers give way to pea-sized, jet black, berry-like drupes (inkberries to 3/8 inches diameter) which mature in early fall and persist throughout winter to early spring, unless consumed by local bird populations.
Ecosystem Connections
Inkberry leaves are browsed by marsh rabbit and white tailed-deer, the fruits are important food for raccoon, coyote, and opossum when other sources are scarce. The fruit is also eaten by at least 15 species of birds, including bobwhite quail and wild turkey. Inkberry provides cover for white-tailed deer, small rodents, and several species of birds. Nectar of the flowers is an important source for honey production.
This plant is a host for the Henry Elfin’s butterfly. Adult butterflies and bees are attracted to the blooms
Inkberry Fruit
Inkberry Flowers
Inkberry Leaves, Credit: John Brandbauer
Inkberry Bush, Credit: Phillip Merritt
More on Trees and Shrubs in Lewisboro
Lewisboro was once entirely forested except for patches of open field caused by fire and wetlands and ponds which were expanded by beaver dams. Although it is hard to believe, by 1800 most of Lewisboro’s forests had been cut down and replaced by farms. In 1820 so many trees had been cleared that there was no shade anywhere along the route from Boston to New York.[1] But by the mid-1800’s farming here became uneconomical and as farms were abandoned, the forests began to re-grow. Today, 70% of New York is once again forest, what some call ‘the great environmental story of the United States’[2]. These new forests provide us with beauty and recreation, clean air and water, flood control, erosion prevention, carbon sequestration, cooler temperatures and habitat for other plants, insects, birds and other wildlife.
[1] Cronon, William. Changes in the Land. Macmillan, 1983.
[2] An Explosion of Green. B. Mckibben. Atlantic Monthly 275 (April 1995): 61-83.