Dahoon Holly

Dahoon Holly is an evergreen tree of Southeastern swamps and wet flatwoods, Florida included. Ilex cassine carries narrow, glossy, leathery green leaves that are mostly smooth edged with a few small teeth near the tip, and female trees hold clusters of small red to orange fruit from fall into winter that birds feed on. Give it full sun to partial shade in moist sand or loam, acidic to neutral. It is hardy in USDA zones 7a through 11 and reaches 20 to 30 feet tall with a 10 to 15 foot spread. Wet ground and standing water are no problem, though it prefers steady moisture and takes only moderate drought once established. Small greenish white flowers open from spring into early summer. Hollies are dioecious, so a male tree needs to be nearby for a female to fruit, and the fruit can cause stomach upset if eaten.