Yaupon Holly

Ilex vomitoria

Found in maritime forests, other dry sandy forests, shrublands, and disturbed areas. 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: 10–20.5 feet
Spread: 8–12 feet
Light: Deep shade, Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 10 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

Ilex vomitoria — fruit photograph — Luteus · CC BY 3.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

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

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Recorded in 38 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 3

Named place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Maritime forests and thickets

Salt-pruned forests and shrub thickets behind coastal dunes.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 206 animals.

Lark Sparrow
Chondestes grammacus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Le Conte's Sparrow
Ammodramus leconteii
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Least Bittern
Ixobrychus exilis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Least Sandpiper
Calidris minutilla
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Lesser Scaup
Aythya affinis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Lesser Yellowlegs
Tringa flavipes
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Little Gull
Hydrocoloeus minutus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Louisiana Waterthrush
Seiurus motacilla
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Merlin
Falco columbarius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Mississippi Kite
Ictinia mississippiensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Mottled Duck
Anas fulvigula
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow
Ammodramus nelsoni
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Northern Pintail
Anas acuta
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Northern Shoveler
Anas clypeata
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Pied-billed Grebe
Podilymbus podiceps
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Purple Gallinule
Porphyrio martinica
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Purple Martin
Progne subis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serrator
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta canadensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Reddish Egret
Egretta rufescens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Redhead
Aythya americana
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Ring-necked Duck
Aythya collaris
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Ruddy Duck
Oxyura jamaicensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpres
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 7a–9b
Soil pH: Acidic to alkaline
Flower color: Green or white
Growth rate: Slow
Growth habit: Several stems
Foliage color: 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 · “March to May” · 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 · “October” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “November” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · 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 7a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “10–20.5 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 · “Deep shade (less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight); 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 dry; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ)
Soil pH · “Acidic to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “8–12 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Yaupon

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. Forms thickets unless suckers are removed. NC State Extension Plant Toolbox

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

Yaupon Holly

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