winterberry
winterberry Lexical Profile
winterberry Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Any of several deciduous North American shrubs of the holly family (Aquifoliaceae), especially Ilex verticillata, native to wetlands and wooded swamps of eastern North America and widely cultivated for its bright red berries that persist on bare branches through winter.
"The bare branches of the winterberry added a vibrant splash of red to the snowy garden landscape."
An ornamental flowering shrub (Ilex verticillata) bearing small, inconspicuous greenish-white blossoms with four to eight petals in late spring or early summer, grown in gardens so that fertilized female blooms develop into dense clusters of colorful winter fruit.
"Because winterberry is dioecious, a male pollinator plant must be grown nearby for the female flowers to set fruit."
The small, glossy, bright red or orange-red berry-like drupe of the winterberry shrub, which serves as an important winter food source for wild birds but is mildly toxic to humans.
"Flocks of cedar waxwings descended on the thicket to feast on the ripened winterberries."
• Nearby Words
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.