wetland shrub

American holly

Ilex opaca

Native to much of the USA

Virginia to northern Florida, west to southeastern Missouri and eastern Texas; also coastal areas from Massachusetts to Maryland

Light Full sun to shade Sun tolerance
Moisture Dry to wet Moisture preference
Zones 6–9 Cold to heat range
Bloom Apr–Jun Flowering time
Height 15–25 ft 4.6–7.6 m
Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial

Full details, see below

In the garden

A wetland shrub for sun through shade and wet soil. Its white and green flowers peak in May. At 15–25 ft, it needs room in rain gardens, pond edges, and damp low spots. Hardy in USDA zones 6–9.

Growing conditions

Light

Full sun Partial shade Full shade

Moisture

Dry Moist Wet

Hardiness zones

Find your zone:

When it blooms

The American holly's white and green flowers bloom April to June, peaking in May. This late-spring display draws bees and wasps.

American holly blooms white & greenFoliage

Pollinators & wildlife

Bees Common Eastern Bumble Bee

also Western Honey Bee, Eastern Carpenter Bee, Brown-belted Bumble Bee +53 more
Two-spotted Bumble Bee, Pure Green Sweat bee, Perplexing Bumble Bee, Half-black Bumble Bee, Colletes inaequalis, Yellow-fronted Bumble Bee, Golden Sweat Bee, Wilke's Mining Bee, Carlin's Mining Bee, Neighborly Mining Bee, Lucorum-group Bumble Bees, Northeastern Sweat Bee, Petulant Leafcutter Bee, Deep-blue Sweat Bee, Sphecodes ranunculi, Nude Mining Bee, Cresson's Sweat Bee, Long-lipped Miner, Hairy masked Bee, Carolina Miner Bee, Red Mason Bee, Imitator Miner Bee, Experienced Sweat Bee, Kissing Cuckoo Carder Bee, Goatsbeard Miner Bee, Buff-tailed Bumble Bee, Coppice Mining Bee, Grey-patched Mining Bee, Tawny Mining Bee, Hawthorn Mining Bee, Blackthorn Mining Bee, Buffish Mining Bee, Andrena angustior, Xylocopa virginica virginica, Early Mining Bee, Hairy-footed Flower Bee, Furry-claspered Furrow Bee, Painted Mining Bee, Broad-margined Mining Bee, Andrena carantonica, Tree Bumble Bee, Early Bumble Bee, South Florida Eastern Carpenter Bee, Augochloropsis sumptuosa, Augochlora pura pura, Blueberry Digger Bee, Quebec Sweat Bee, Dunning's Miner, Brown-fovea Miner, Bombus vancouverensis vancouverensis, Rehn's Miner Bee, Nason's Mining Bee, Andrena cressonii cressonii
Wasps Bald-faced Hornet

also Eastern Yellowjacket, Fraternal Potter Wasp, Western Yellowjacket +7 more
Southern Yellowjacket, Common Aerial Yellowjacket, Euodynerus foraminatus, European tube wasp, Parancistrocerus histrio, Polistes exclamans, Vespula vidua
Butterflies Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

also Red Admiral, Silver-spotted Skipper, European Comma +7 more
Green Hairstreak, Common Geranium-bronze, Holly Blue, Speckled Wood, European Peacock Butterfly, Green-veined White, Limenitis astyanax
Also visited by
- Flower flies:
  
  Long-tailed Aphideater, Thick-legged Hover Fly +8 more
  Yellow-haired Sun Fly, Carolinian Elegant, Hairy-eyed Flower Fly, Marmalade Hover Fly, Spotted Thintail, Spring Epistrophe, Western Pond Fly, Ocyptamus costatus
- Beetles:
  
  Asian Lady Beetle, Pine Ladybird +1 more
  Coleomegilla maculata lengi
- Hummingbirds: Anna's Hummingbird
- Birds: Redwing, Carolina Chickadee
- Moths: Speckled Yellow

Butterflies that use this plant

Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.

Full plant details

Where it grows

Habitat: WetlandThe wild plant community it grows in.
Native range: Much of the USAUnited States (26): AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, KY, LA, MA, MD, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
Native distribution: Virginia to northern Florida, west to southeastern Missouri and eastern Texas; also coastal areas from Massachusetts to MarylandThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.

Growing conditions

Light: Full sun to shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
Moisture: Dry to wetThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
Hardiness zones: USDA 6–9 · Canadian 7–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
Soil: Moist, well-drained, acidic soils. Acid-based, Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam. Not so good in clayThe soils it grows in naturally.
Soil texture: Light to heavy (sandy to clay)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
Soil pH: 4.5–7.0The acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
Soil quality: MediumHow rich a soil it needs. Many natives prefer lean soil and flop in rich beds.
Water use: MediumHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.
Drought tolerance: Low , MediumRelative to plants of the same type and region, inferred from where it grows, not a days-without-water figure.
Salinity tolerance: MediumHow well it copes with salty soil, near roads or the coast.
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: LowHow well it copes with chalky, lime-rich soil.

Growth & form

Height: 15–25 ft (4.6–7.6 m)Typical mature height.
Spread: ~5 ft (1.5 m)How wide one plant gets, a guide to spacing.
Life cycle: PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
Growth rate: SlowA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.
Shape: ErectIts overall silhouette.
Root depth: 30+ in (76+ cm)How far the roots reach, a guide to drought resilience and transplanting.

Flowers, foliage & fruit

Type: ShrubWhat kind of plant it is.
Bloom: Apr–JunWhen it flowers.
Flower color: White, GreenThe bloom color, or colors.
Fruit/Seeds: ripens Jan–DecThe seed or fruit it sets after flowering.
Toxicity: Poisonous if eatenWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.

Propagation & seed

Cold stratification: Required (cold, moist)Whether seed needs a cold, moist spell before it will germinate.
Propagation: Bare root, container, cuttings, seedHow to start new plants.
Seed: ~0.0 million seeds per poundNotes on the seed and how to sow it.
Seed spread rate: SlowHow readily it self-sows. Slow or none means well-behaved, not a spreader.
Seedling vigor: LowHow strongly young seedlings establish.
Vegetative spread: NoneWhether it creeps outward or stays put in a clump.