# Possumhaw (Ilex decidua)

> 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.

Source: https://treerm.org/trees/ilex-decidua · Updated 2026-11-08 · License CC BY 4.0

## Facts

- Also called: Deciduous holly, Possumhaw holly
- Family: Aquifoliaceae
- Type: Broadleaf, drops leaves
- Mature height: 5 m; spread 4 m
- Growth: Medium growth
- USDA hardiness zones: 5 to 9
- Light: Sun or part shade
- Water: Moderate water
- 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

**Benefits:** Birds, Wildlife, Flood tolerant, Fits small spaces, Pollinators

**Good for:** Small yard, Screening, Hedgerow, Streambanks

**Watch out for:** No major cautions

## 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.

## Where it stands

- **Native:** United States (Also native in: DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, VA (USDA PLANTS distribution)); AL, United States; AR, United States; FL, United States; GA, United States; LA, United States; MS, United States; NC, United States; OK, United States; SC, United States; TN, United States; TX, United States
- **Recommended:** Washington, DC, United States (On the Casey Trees Tree Rebate eligible species list); Austin, TX, United States (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.); Dallas, TX, United States (On the City of Dallas Article X Approved Tree List)

## 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