'Taylor's Rudolph' is a female cultivar of I. vomitoria , a species native to eastern North America in the holly family (Aquifoliaceae). 'Taylor's Rudolph' is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub reaching 3 to 5 feet tall and wide with a mounded form that fills out down to the ground. This low-growing dwarf has a fine texture, plenty of red berries in the autumn and glossy, dark green leaves all year long. It is adaptable to a wide range of soil types and is drought tolerant once established but tolerates temporary wet conditions. It does best in full sun to partial shade and is salt tolerant but will not do well in polluted urban settings such as parking lots. It is a slow to moderate grower. Prune in winter if needed. The spring flowers are not ornamental significant but attract pollinators. In the fall and winter, the birds enjoy the berries. Being a female variety, it requires a male selection of the same species growing nearby in order to set fruit such as ‘Stokes Dwarf’ (syn. ‘Schilling’s Dwarf’) or 'Will Flemming'. 'Taylor's Rudolph' can be mass planted and used as a formal hedge, a specimen, or as a foundation plant. It is at home in a coastal garden, rock garden or in a border planting. It can also be grown in containers and is resistant to browsing by deer. Fire Risk: This plant has a high flammability rating and should not be planted within the defensible space of your home. Select plants with a low flammability rating for the sites nearest your home. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No insect or disease problems when planted in their native habitat. Holly leafminer, spider mites, aphids, whiteflies and scale are occasional problems. Leaf spot, leaf rot, tar spot and powdery mildew are potential disease problems. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common diseases and insect pests. VIDEO: Part of a series of Native Plant Picks from the North Carolina Sea Grant Coastal Landscapes Initiative. More information on Ilex vomitoria .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Fills a similar nicheChamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana Lutea'Gardenia jasminoides 'Jubilation'Picea laxa 'Conica'
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Moist
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Mounding; Multi-stemmed
Texture
Fine
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Green; Red/Burgundy
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Ovate
Leaf margin
Crenate; Serrate
Leaf feel
Glossy
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
1.5 inch long and 3/4-inch wide oval, glossy, dark green leaves that emerge with a purple tinge. Margins are crenate or serrate and have a rounded base and prominent, pinnate venation.
Flower color
Insignificant
Flower value
Fragrant
Flower form
Cyme; Insignificant
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Not ornamentally significant
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Drupe
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit detail
1/4 inch Glossy, bright red drupes have 4 seeds each which are dispersed by birds. A pollinizer variety is needed to ensure fruit set.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Wildlife value
Fruits are enjoyed by birds.
Attracts
Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Leaves
Harvest time
Winter
Fruit type
Drupe
Edibility
Use caution. The young leaves may be picked, browned and dried in an oven, steeped in hot water and used to make Yaupon tea. It contains caffeine. In quantities, can be mildly toxic.
Uses (ethnobotany)
The wood from this plant was used by Native Americans to make arrows. The leaves were used for ceremonial tea, which, when consumed in large quantities, caused a cleansing now memorialized by the specific epithet. Also contains caffeine.
Holly Pest Management Calendar; Pests of Holly; Leafminers of Hollies; Soft Scale Identification and Management on Ornamental Plants; Armored Scale Identification and Management on Ornamental Plants
Resistant to
Deer; Drought; Salt
Particularly resistant to
Phytophthora root rot.
Fire risk
high flammability
Poison severity
Low
Poison symptoms
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea when consumed in quantity.