The result of a controlled 1960 cross between Ilex integra and Ilex altaclerensis 'Hodginsii', made at the U.S. National Arboretum by W. F. Kosar, 'Scepter' spent decades in evaluation before Gene Eisenbeiss named and registered the final selection in 1993. It is a female cultivar, and it is not self-fertile, so a compatible male pollinizer is needed for the profuse clusters of bright red berries the plant is capable of producing. Male plants from several Ilex species work well, including altaclerensis, cornuta, latifolia, and meserveae. The oval, nearly spineless dark green leaves can reach three inches long, giving the plant a cleaner, less aggressive look than spiny-leaved hollies.

In terms of culture, 'Scepter' is accommodating: full sun to partial shade, acidic and well-drained soil preferred, though it tolerates a wide range of conditions including clay and periodic dryness. It grows quickly, reaching around twenty feet tall and fourteen feet wide at maturity, and maintains its compact pyramidal structure without much intervention from a pruning saw. That self-sufficiency makes it particularly well suited to formal screens, dense borders, and foundation plantings where a reliably tidy silhouette matters through all four seasons.