Rough-leaved Holly

Ilex asprella is a densely branched deciduous shrub that grows up to 3 m tall. The long shoots are glabrous, brown, and slender, while the short shoots are green with significant white lenticels. The leaves are thin-chartaceous, glandular-punctate on the back, ovate, measuring 4 to 5 cm in length and 1.5 to 2.5 cm broad. The leaf apex is acuminate, the base cuneate, the margin serrulate, hirsute on adaxial nerves and nearly glabrous beneath. Petioles are 3 to 8 mm long. The leaves have Reticulate veins with 6 to 8 pairs of pinnate lateral veins.

Flowers are white and arranged in axillary umbels with slender pedicels, dioecy. Male flower: 2 to 5 flowers each inflorescence and measure approximately 2.5 to 3 mm in diameter. They are glabrous with 4 or 5 suborbicular petals, margin erose, corolla rotate, base slightly connate; stamens ca. 3/4 as long as petals, anthers oblong and ca. 1 mm. Female flower: 4 to 6 flowers each inflorescence, glabrous, ca. 3 mm in diameter; flowers 4-6; calyx deeply 4 to 6 lobed; corolla rotate, petals suborbicular, basal slightly connate; staminodes ca. 1 mm, sterile anthers sagittate; ovary ovoid, ca. 1.5 mm in diameter, style present, stigma thickly discoid. Drupe black and globose, endocarp stony, 5 mm long, 4 mm across, pedicel 2 to 3 cm long.

Ilex asprella is adapted to tropic climate and humus-rich soil. It can be found in low altitude about 400 to 1000 m in Luzon, S. E. China, and Taiwan in the thickest.