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Possumhaw Holly

Ilex decidua

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in floodplain forests, less commonly on moist (or even dry), upland slopes. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

97
Keystone

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

Profile 100%

Height
About 33 feet
Spread
5–12 feet
Light
Shade, Partial sun
Soil moisture
Average to wet

Space about 8.5 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
March to May
Fruiting season
September to October

Recorded in 69 Arkansas counties.

Natural habitats

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

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Arkansas. Shared habitat, not food. 92 animals.

Widespread birds also seen here (81)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of Arkansas

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

44CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AR

Genus host records with ranges including AR · 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
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
Show all 44
  • Coelodasys unicornisUnicorn Caterpillar Moth
  • Dolba hyloeusPawpaw Sphinx
  • Egira alternansAlternate Woodling
  • Ennomos magnariaMaple Spanworm Moth, Notchwing Geometer
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
10BirdsRecorded eating Ilex in Arkansas

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Arkansas, most records first.

Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab)

Direct food only. 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

Birds that eat Ilex 10

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Aquifoliaceae
Hardiness
Zones 5–9
Flower color
Yellow
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Several stems
Foliage color
Dark green
Fruit begins
September
Fruit ends
October

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Possum Haw

Conservation status

Arkansas rankS4
Global rankG5
AR statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources