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Mountain Holly

Ilex montana

Found in moist forests, rarely bogs or bog edges. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

97
Keystone

Native to West 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
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
Spring
Fruiting season
August to September

Not yet recorded · Spread

Recorded in 11 West Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

Moist forests

Woods Scene
Harvey Joiner, Woods Scene: tall beeches in a moist Kentucky woodland, light falling through a closed canopy onto a damp forest floor. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Shown: Kentucky beech woods (Harvey Joiner, Louisville painter of Kentucky beech forests; the painting does not name the site), a neighboring state.Woods Scene, Harvey Joiner, c. 1880-1920. Public domain. Source record.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in West Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 70 animals.

Widespread birds also seen here (38)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of West Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

44CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · 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 44
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • 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
  • Megalopyge opercularisSouthern Flannel Moth, Puss Caterpillar
  • Metaxaglaea violaceaHolly Sallow
  • Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
  • 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
  • Rhopobota naevanaBlackheaded Fireworm, Holly Bud Moth, Holly Tortrix
  • 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 West Virginia

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes West Virginia, 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 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
Also known as

Ilex ambigua var. montana

Conservation status

West Virginia rankS4
Global rankG5
WV statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources