Editing Prunus ilicifolia (section)

== Description ==

Hollyleaf cherry is an evergreen sclerophyllous shrub or small tree recorded at roughly 1–8 m. The leaves are dense and holly-like, with spiny teeth along the margins. Flowers are white, bisexual and borne in racemes. The drupes vary from red to purple and are sometimes yellow; they contain thin sweetish pulp around a smooth, hard seed.<sup>[[#cite_note-2|[2]]]</sup> Calscape gives a fruit diameter of about 12–25 mm, while the forestry account emphasizes variation in color and form rather than a single fixed fruit type.<sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup>

Native plants occur in chaparral and foothill woodland, especially on dry, well-drained slopes and fans below about 1,525 m. They also occupy cooler north-facing slopes, arroyos and drainage channels. Sand, loam and clay are all recorded, and apparent tolerance of alkaline soil is noted in the habitat account.<sup>[[#cite_note-2|[2]]]</sup> That range of settings supports treating drainage and exposure as more important starting considerations than a single named soil mix.<sup>[[#cite_note-2|[2]]]</sup>

Two subspecies are recognized in horticultural treatment, including the Catalina Island cherry, but subspecies are taxonomic units rather than evidence of named fruit cultivars.<sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup> No documented cultivar or selection with verified grower-relevant tradeoffs is included here.