Clustered Holly

Ilex aggregata is a holly in the family Aquifoliaceae. The genus Ilex is the largest genus in its family, comprising approximately 600 species distributed across tropical and subtropical regions of all continents except Antarctica and Australia, with diversity centers in South America and Asia. I. aggregata appears to be a South American or neotropical species, consistent with the high diversity of the genus in that region. Hollies are evergreen or deciduous shrubs and trees with typically leathery, often spiny leaves. They are dioecious, with male and female flowers borne on separate plants, and produce characteristic fleshy drupes (berries) that are often red, orange, or black when ripe, providing food for birds and other frugivores that disperse the seeds. Many Ilex species are adapted to forest understory, forest margins, and montane habitats. Holly berries and leaves are generally toxic to mammals, though consumed by certain birds. I. aggregata is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN. Detailed habitat and distribution data for this species are limited in publicly available records.