Seed for Ilex verticillata, the American Winterberry. A species of holly native to eastern North America in the United States and southeast Canada. The berries are an important food resource for numerous species of birds. This deciduous shrub grows 4-16 feet tall. This shrub is prized as an ornamental plant in gardens for the midwinter splash of bright color from densely packed berries, whose visibility is heightened by the loss of foliage; therefore it is popular even where other, evergreen, hollies are also grown. It is a tough plant which is easy to grow, with very few diseases or pests. hardy in zones 3 to 9.