{"slug":"ilex-decidua","scientific_name":"Ilex decidua","common_names":["Possumhaw","Deciduous holly","Possumhaw holly"],"family":"Aquifoliaceae","type":"broadleaf_deciduous","mature_height_m":5,"mature_spread_m":4,"growth_rate":"medium","lifespan_years":null,"hardiness_zones":[5,9],"sun":"full_partial","water":"medium","soil":"Moist sands, loams or clays including caliche; tolerates poor drainage and occasional flooding","native_range":"Southeastern United States from Virginia and Illinois south to Florida and central Texas","description":"A deciduous holly, shrub or small tree (12-20 feet), that drops its leaves in fall to reveal gray twigs loaded with bright red-orange berries that last all winter until the cedar waxwings arrive. Only female plants fruit, and they need a male holly (a yaupon works) nearby. Tolerates wet feet, shade and heat.","care":"Water weekly the first two summers; it prefers moist soil but handles drought once established. Prune in early spring to shape or to open a multi-trunk form. Buy a known female for berries and make sure a male yaupon or possumhaw is within a few hundred feet. Few pests beyond occasional leaf spot.","benefits":["birds","wildlife","flood_tolerant","small_space","pollinators"],"uses":["small_yard","screening","hedgerow","riparian"],"cautions":["none"],"image_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Ilex_decidua_4.jpg","image_credit":"Eric Hunt, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons","sources":["https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ILDE","https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ILDE","https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ilex-decidua/","https://www.austintexas.gov/watershed-protection/plant-guide/holly-possumhaw","https://www.treefolks.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/NeighborWoodsTreeMenu-2026.pdf"],"data_note":null,"updated_at":"2026-11-08T01:00:46.205Z","page_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/ilex-decidua","markdown_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/ilex-decidua.md","regions":[{"country":"US","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":"Also native in: DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, VA (USDA PLANTS distribution)","source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ILDE"},{"country":"US","region":"AL","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ILDE"},{"country":"US","region":"AR","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ILDE"},{"country":"US","region":"FL","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ILDE"},{"country":"US","region":"GA","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ILDE"},{"country":"US","region":"LA","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ILDE"},{"country":"US","region":"MS","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ILDE"},{"country":"US","region":"NC","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ILDE"},{"country":"US","region":"OK","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ILDE"},{"country":"US","region":"SC","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ILDE"},{"country":"US","region":"TN","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ILDE"},{"country":"US","region":"TX","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ILDE"},{"country":"US","region":"DC","locality":"Washington","status":"recommended","note":"On the Casey Trees Tree Rebate eligible species list","source_url":"https://caseytrees.org/rebate"},{"country":"US","region":"TX","locality":"Austin","status":"recommended","note":"On the City of Austin Grow Green native and adapted plant list (Watershed Protection). Listed as 'Holly, Possumhaw'; tolerates poor drainage, berries attract birds in winter.","source_url":"https://www.austintexas.gov/watershed-protection/plant-guide/holly-possumhaw"},{"country":"US","region":"TX","locality":"Dallas","status":"recommended","note":"On the City of Dallas Article X Approved Tree List","source_url":"https://dallas.gov/departments/sustainabledevelopment/buildinginspection/DCH%20documents/pdf/BI_Approved%20Tree%20List.pdf"}],"license":"CC-BY-4.0"}