Ilex or holly is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. Ilex has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen or deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones worldwide. The type species is Ilex aquifolium, the common European holly used in Christmas decorations and cards.
Diseases Affecting Holly
Phytophthora Root Rot and Crown Dieback
Fungus-like organisms belonging to the genus Phytophthora are soil- or plant-borne and all are plant pathogens.
Affected Species:
Botryosphaeria Canker
The fungus Botryosphaeria can cause a branch dieback on many woody ornamentals. Cankers girdle and kill twigs and branches of species such as horsechestnut, redbud, dogwood, beech, walnut, tulip poplar, sweetgum, crabapple, pine, oak, rhododendron, azalea, rose, willow, elm, and yew. Small black fungal fruiting structures which contain fungal spores develop in the canker.
Affected Species:
Insects Affecting Holly
Southern Red Mite
The female adult is about 0.38 mm long and resembles a small spider.
Affected Species:
White Prunicola Scale
What was formerly considered to be a single species of scale known as the white peach scale, has been determined to actually involve two species, one commonly known as the white peach scale, Pseudaulacaspis pentagona, and the other, Pseudaulacaspis prunicola, with the suggested common name of white prunicola scale (WPS). The WPS is the species…
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