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Possumhaw

Ilex decidua

Possumhaw is a deciduous holly grown for its spectacular winter display of scarlet berries clustered along bare gray branches, stripped slowly by birds. Adaptable to wet or dry soils in sun. The berries are poisonous to people: like others in the genus they carry saponins and can cause vomiting, diarrhea and stupor if eaten in quantity.

Family

Aquifoliaceae

Type

tree

Lifespan

perennial

Height

7–15 ft

Spacing

5–12 ft apart

Light

sun, part shade

Soil moisture

moist, dry, wet

Soil pH

acidic, neutral

Bloom

March, April, May

Bloom colors

white

Wildlife value

songbirds, larval host

Caterpillar hosts

~39 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

rain garden

Native states

AL, AR, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MO, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA