Mountain Holly
Ilex montana
Found in moist forests, rarely bogs or bog edges. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you
97
Keystone
Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 100%
- Height
- Up to about 35 feet
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil moisture
- Usually moist
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Woody perennial
- Leaves
- Deciduous
- Bloom
- Spring
- Fruiting season
- August to September
Not yet recorded · Spread
Recorded in 45 Virginia counties.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 108 animals.
- Turkey VultureCathartes aura
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- Yellow-bellied SapsuckerSphyrapicus varius
- Yellow-breasted ChatIcteria virens
- Yellow-rumped WarblerDendroica coronata
- American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
- American GoldfinchCarduelis tristis
- American RedstartSetophaga ruticilla
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- American WoodcockScolopax minor
- Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus
- Baltimore OrioleIcterus galbula
- Barred OwlStrix varia
- Black-and-White WarblerMniotilta varia
- Black-billed CuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmus
- Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus
- Black-throated Blue WarblerDendroica caerulescens
- Black-throated Green WarblerDendroica virens
- Blackburnian WarblerDendroica fusca
- Blue GrosbeakPasserina caerulea
- Blue JayCyanocitta cristata
- Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterus
- Brown CreeperCerthia americana
- Canada WarblerWilsonia canadensis
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
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
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
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Aquifoliaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 6a–10b
- Soil pH
- Acidic to neutral
- Flower color
- Green or white
- Fruit begins
- August
- Fruit ends
- September
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “Spring” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team) differs)
- Flower color · “Green or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
- Fruit begins · “August” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Fruit ends · “September” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Hardiness · “Zones 6a–10b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “Up to about 35 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · 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
- Soil · “Good drainage; Moist” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; NC Extension Plant Toolbox differs)
- Soil pH · “Acidic to neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Ilex ambigua var. montana
Conservation status
| Virginia rank | S5 |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| VA status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Choose a county to begin.
Sources
- Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- NatureServe Explorer
- 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