Inkberry

Ilex glabra

Found in pine savannas; pine flatwoods; swamps; sandhills. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

Keystone

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

Profile 100%

Height: 5–10 feet
Spread: 5–8 feet
Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Usually moist

Space about 6.5 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

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Ilex glabra — fruit photograph — (c) Clay Gibbons, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

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

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Recorded in 25 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 4

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.

Pine savannas

Open, fire-kept longleaf pine stands over grasses and wildflowers on wet to moist sandy soil.

Pine flatwoods

Flat, sandy Coastal Plain pine woodlands, wetter than sandhills and denser than savannas.

Sandhills

Dry, deep-sand ridges with longleaf pine and turkey oak, kept open by fire.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 161 animals.

White-eyed Vireo
Vireo griseus
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Wild Turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Wood Stork
Mycteria americana
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Wood Thrush
Hylocichla mustelina
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Acadian Flycatcher
Empidonax virescens
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Anhinga
Anhinga anhinga
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Baltimore Oriole
Icterus galbula
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Barred Owl
Strix varia
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Canvasback
Aythya valisineria
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Chipping Sparrow
Spizella passerina
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Henslow's Sparrow
Ammodramus henslowii
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Indigo Bunting
Passerina cyanea
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Kentucky Warbler
Oporornis formosus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Mottled Duck
Anas fulvigula
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Northern Bobwhite
Colinus virginianus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Northern Pintail
Anas acuta
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Ovenbird
Seiurus aurocapilla
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Pine Siskin
Carduelis pinus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Wilson's Snipe
Gallinago delicata
Birds. 2 shared habitats
American Pipit
Anthus rubescens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bank Swallow
Riparia riparia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-necked Stilt
Himantopus mexicanus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Dendroica caerulescens
Birds. 1 shared habitat

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 4a–11b
Soil pH: Acidic
Flower color: Green or white
Growth rate: Slow
Growth habit: Several stems
Foliage color: Green
Fruit begins: September
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” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Green or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ)
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “September” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “November” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Growth habit · “Several stems” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Slow” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Hardiness · “Zones 4a–11b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “5–10 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
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; Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ)
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ)
Soil pH · “Acidic” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “5–8 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Conservation status

Alabama rank	SNR
Global rank	G5
AL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

Suckers and forms colonies. Suckers to form colonies. NC State Extension Plant Toolbox

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Inkberry

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Growing cautions

Sources

More Ilex