Ilex verticillata is native to eastern North America where it is typically found in low elevation wooded areas, along ponds and streams, and in damp thickets, and swamps. Ilex verticillata are dioecious (translated as "two houses"), meaning there are distinctly separate male and female plants. The attractive red berries which are the signature of the winterberries are produced on female varieties such as 'Red Sprite' if a male variety (such as 'Jim Dandy') is planted nearby to provide pollen. Generally, one male winterberry can pollenize up to ten female plants. 'Jim Dandy' is an early-blooming winterberry that produces male flowers in spring and is best partnered with a correlating early-blooming female winterberry.