Japanese Holly
Ilex crenata
Found in planted as a landscaping shrub, escaped into forests in suburban areas. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you
—
Not native
Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 76%
- Height
- 5–10 feet
- Spread
- 5–8 feet
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil moisture
- Usually moist
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At a glance
- Life cycle
- Woody perennial
- Leaves
- Evergreen
- Bloom
- Mid spring
- Fruiting season
- Spring to summer
Recorded in 11 Virginia counties.
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
52CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA
Genus host records with ranges including VA · 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
- Celastrina idellaHolly Azure, American Holly Azure
- Cenopis reticulatanaReticulated Fruitworm Moth
Show all 52
- Cepphis armatariaScallop Moth
- 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
- Rhopobota naevanaBlackheaded Fireworm, Holly Bud Moth, Holly Tortrix
- 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
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
3Specialist beesPollen specialists
Pollen specialists · Ilex
- Colletes banksi
- Colletes brimleyi
- Perdita floridensis
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
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
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Aquifoliaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 5a–8b
- Soil pH
- Acidic to neutral
- Flower color
- Green or white
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Growth habit
- Several stems
- Foliage color
- Dark green
- Fruit begins
- Spring
- Fruit ends
- Summer
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “Mid spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Flower color · “Green or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
- Foliage color · “Dark green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit begins · “Spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit ends · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- 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 5a–8b” · 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
- 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
- Soil · “Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil pH · “Acidic to neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Spread · “5–8 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Conservation status
| Virginia rank | Not available |
|---|---|
| Global rank | GNR |
| VA status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Sources
- Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora
- USDA PLANTS
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- 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
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications