- 1). Watch the ilex leaves throughout the year to see if they fall off during the winter months or if they consistently remain on the plant. If the foliage sheds, you have a deciduous ilex, such as the winterberry holly, but if it stays the ilex is evergreen, such as the Japanese maple.
- 2). Inspect the shape of the foliage. Ilex leaves, such as the American holly and English holly, have sharp points on the side, while varieties like the burford Chinese holly and heller's Japanese holly are more broad and contain smoother edges.
- 3). Note the colors of the ilex foliage and look to see if they transform to other shades during other seasons. The possumhaw, as an example, begins with a dark green color and changes to yellow in the autumn.
- 4). Look at the berries that accompany the ilex leaf to narrow down the possibilities. For instance, the inkberry grows small, black fruit in September, while the longstalk holly has berries that become red in the fall.
- 5). Load the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) "Advanced Search" page in your browser window to help identify your ilex leaf (see Resources). Enter "ilex" in the "genus" text field and continue to select the options that match your data. Click the "Display Results" button when finished and then click the links that appear until you discover your ilex plant.
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