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Dahoon Holly

Ilex cassine

Found in blackwater stream swamps, pocosins, nearly always in very acid peaty or sandy sites. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

97
Keystone

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
20–30 feet
Spread
10–15 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Moist to standing water

Space about 12.5 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Evergreen
Bloom
May to June
Fruiting season
October to November

Recorded in 9 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement.

Swamps

Loblolly bay in a coastal swamp
Regional / representative. Shown: Southern coastal swamps, Florida to Virginia; state not identified, a neighboring state.Loblolly bay in a coastal swamp, Marian Ellis Rowan, 1901. Public domain. Source record.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 100 animals.

All wildlife of Alabama

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

50CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Ilex

  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
  • Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
  • Apatelodes torrefactaSpotted Apatelodes
  • Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Callophrys henriciHenry's Elfin
  • Cecrita biundataWavy-Lined Heterocampa
  • Cenopis reticulatanaReticulated Fruitworm Moth
  • Cepphis armatariaScallop Moth
Show all 50
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Coelodasys unicornisUnicorn Caterpillar Moth
  • Dolba hyloeusPawpaw Sphinx
  • Egira alternansAlternate Woodling
  • Ennomos magnariaMaple Spanworm Moth, Notchwing Geometer
  • Episemasia solitariaSolitary Ruddy
  • Episimus tyriusMaple Tip Borer
  • Euclea delphiniiSpiny Oak-Slug Moth
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
  • Haematopis gratariaChickweed Geometer
  • Harrisimemna trisignataHarris's Three-Spot
  • Herpetogramma pertextalisBold-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Herpetogramma thestealisZigzag Herpetogramma, Subtle-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Ilexia intractataBlack-Dotted Ruddy, Holly Looper
  • Larisa subsolanaDark-Based Larisa
  • Lascoria ambigualisAmbiguous Moth, Ambiguous Litter Moth
  • Lithophane viridipallensPale Green Pinion
  • Malacosoma disstriaForest Tent Caterpillar
  • Manduca rusticaRustic Sphinx
  • Megalopyge opercularisSouthern Flannel Moth, Puss Caterpillar
  • Metaxaglaea violaceaHolly Sallow
  • Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
  • Oiketicus abbotiiAbbot's Bagworm Moth
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Orthosia alurinaGray Quaker
  • Orthosia rubescensRuby Quaker
  • Papilio palamedesPalamedes Swallowtail
  • Platynota rostranaOmnivorous Platynota
  • Prolimacodes badiaSkiff Moth, Skiff Caterpillar
  • Protoboarmia porcelariaPorcelain Gray, Dashedlined Looper
  • Psilocorsis cryptolechiellaBlack-Fringed Leaftier
  • Rhopobota dietzianaWinterberry Moth
  • Schizura ipomaeaeMorning-Glory Prominent, Checkered-Fringe Prominent
  • Sphinx kalmiaeFawn Sphinx, Laurel Sphinx
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Synanthedon kathyaeHolly Clearwing Borer
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Rhopobota finitimana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
35BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Ilex

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
3Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Ilex

  • Colletes banksi
  • Colletes brimleyi
  • Perdita floridensis
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
11BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Ilex

  • Hylocichla mustelinaWood Thrush
  • Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
  • Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
  • Catharus fuscescensVeery
  • Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
  • Catharus minimus/bicknelliGray-cheeked/Bicknell's Thrush
  • Catharus ustulatusSwainson's Thrush
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Sturnus vulgarisEuropean Starling
Show all 11
  • Vireo griseusWhite-eyed Vireo
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Aquifoliaceae
Hardiness
Zones 7a–11b
Soil pH
Acidic to neutral
Flower color
Yellow or white
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Single stem
Foliage color
Dark green
Fruit begins
October
Fruit ends
November

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “May to June” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Flower color · “Yellow or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ)
  • Foliage color · “Dark green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “October” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Fruit ends · “November” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Growth habit · “Single stem” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Hardiness · “Zones 7a–11b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Height · “20–30 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ)
  • Leaves · “Evergreen” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
  • Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
  • Soil · “Frequent standing water; Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
  • Soil pH · “Acidic to neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Spread · “10–15 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNR
Global rankG5
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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