Ilex rotunda (Kurogane holly)

Japanese name: クロガネモチ （黒鉄黐）
Scientific name: Ilex rotunda

[Overview]
An evergreen tree 5–10 m tall found in evergreen forests, said to reach 20 m in some cases.
Young branches and petioles are blackish purple.
Leaves are simple and alternate, elliptic, 6–10 cm long and 2.5–4 cm wide, with entire margins.
The petiole is 1.5–2 cm long.
It is dioecious.
Both male and female plants bear umbels in the leaf axils of the current year's branches, each with 2–7 flowers.
The flowers are small, pale purple, with 5–6 petals.
The fruit is an ellipsoidal-globose berry 6 mm in diameter that ripens red.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings.
Sowing seed is also possible, but plants grown from seed will turn out to be both male and female.
When sowing, harvest ripe fruits, wash off the pulp, bury the seeds in moistened vermiculite or similar so they do not dry out, and store them in a cool, dark place; take them out in March–April of the following year and wash them thoroughly again before sowing.
It suits warm regions from Kanto southward.
It prefers sun to partial shade and well-drained, humus-rich, moderately moist soil.
It sets fruit better in a sunny position, but dislikes strong afternoon sun and dry sites.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries.
For plants in the ground, watering is unnecessary unless sunny weather continues for a long time and the soil becomes dry.
Fertilizer is not particularly necessary except on poor soil; if applied, bury compost as fertilizer in winter in several holes dug around the plant.
Pests and diseases include sooty mold and scale insects.

[Notes]
The Japanese name Kurogane (black iron) is said to have come from the blackish young branches and petioles.

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