Ilex obcordata

Ilex obcordata is a species of holly in the family Aquifoliaceae. It is native to the Greater Antilles – Cuba, Hispaniola (the Dominican Republic and Haiti), Jamaica, and Puerto Rico.^[2]

Ilex obcordata
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 2.3)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Aquifoliales
Family:	Aquifoliaceae
Genus:	Ilex
Species:	I. obcordata
Binomial name
Ilex obcordata Sw.
Varieties[2]
Ilex obcordata var. obcordata Ilex obcordata var. vaccinioides (Loes.) P.A.González
Synonyms[3][4]
of var. obcordata: Braxylis obcordata Raf. Ilex cristalensis Loes. Ilex cuneifolia Hook. Ilex ekmaniana Loes. Ilex ekmaniana var. regnelliana Loes. Ilex formonica Loes. Ilex shaferi Britton & P.Wilson Ilex sintenisii (Urb.) Britton Vaccinium sintenisii Urb. of var. vaccinioides: Ilex vaccinioides Loes.

There are two accepted varieties:^[2]

• Ilex obcordata var. obcordata – Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico
• Ilex obcordata var. vaccinioides (Loes.) P.A.González – Jamaica and Puerto Rico

Some consider the Puerto Rican population a separate species, Ilex sintenisii (Urb.) Britton, while González-Gutiérrez (2007)^[5] and Plants of the World Online consider I. sintenisii to be a synonym of I. obcordata var. obcordata, which occurs on the islands of Cuba, Jamaica, and Hispaniola in addition to Puerto Rico.^[6]

There are only 150 individuals remaining in the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico, restricted to Toro Negro State Forest.^[1]

As Ilex sintenisii (Sintenis' holly or cuero de sapo) It is assessed as endangered by the IUCN Red List,^[1] and a federally listed endangered species of the United States.^[6]