wetland shrub
Dahoon holly
Ilex cassine
1 of 2Native to Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas
Coastal Plain from North Carolina to eastern Texas
- Light Partial shade Sun tolerance
- Moisture Moist Moisture preference
- Zones 8–11 Cold to heat range
- Bloom Jan–Oct Flowering time
- Height up to 30 ft to 9.1 m
- Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial
In the garden
A wetland shrub for partial shade and evenly moist soil. Its white flowers peak in May. At up to 30 ft, it needs room in rain gardens, pond edges, and damp low spots. Hardy in USDA zones 8–11.
Growing conditions
Light
Full sun Partial shade Full shade
Moisture
Dry Moist Wet
Hardiness zones
Find your zone:
When it blooms
The Dahoon holly's white flowers bloom January to October, peaking in May. This late-spring display draws bees and wasps.
Dahoon holly blooms whiteFoliage
Pollinators & wildlife
- Bees Brown-belted Bumble Bee
also Western Honey Bee, Two-spotted Bumble Bee, Pure Green Sweat bee +8 more
Carpenter-mimic Leafcutter Bee, Viereck's Sweat Bee, Cyclops Blood Bee, Perdita bradleyi, Lasioglossum tarponense, Colletes banksi, Augochlorella gratiosa, Hylaeus confluens - Wasps Metric Paper Wasp
also Four-toothed Mason Wasp, Red-marked Pachodynerus Wasp, Southern Paper Wasp +1 more
Slosson's Mason Wasp - Beetles Margined Leatherwing Beetle also Emerald Flower Scarab
- Also visited by
- Butterflies: Horace's Duskywing, Fulvous Hairstreak
- Birds: Apalis flavida florisuga
Full plant details
Where it grows
- Habitat
- WetlandThe wild plant community it grows in.
- Native range
- Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and TexasUnited States (8): AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TX. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
- Native distribution
- Coastal Plain from North Carolina to eastern TexasThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.
Growing conditions
- Light
- Partial shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
- Moisture
- MoistThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
- Hardiness zones
- USDA 8–11The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
- Soil
- Moist soilsThe soils it grows in naturally.
- Soil texture
- Light to heavy (sandy to clay)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
- Soil pH
- 3.5–6.5The acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
- Soil quality
- LowHow rich a soil it needs. Many natives prefer lean soil and flop in rich beds.
- Water use
- HighHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.
- Salinity tolerance
- LowHow 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
- up to 30 ft (to 9.1 m)Typical mature height.
- Life cycle
- PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
- Growth rate
- ModerateA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.
- Shape
- ErectIts overall silhouette.
- Root depth
- 12+ in (30+ cm)How far the roots reach, a guide to drought resilience and transplanting.
Flowers, foliage & fruit
- Type
- ShrubWhat kind of plant it is.
- Bloom
- Jan–OctWhen it flowers.
- Flower color
- WhiteThe bloom color, or colors.
- Fruit/Seeds
- ripens Jan–DecThe seed or fruit it sets after flowering.
- Toxicity
- None knownWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.
Propagation & seed
- Cold stratification
- Not requiredWhether seed needs a cold, moist spell before it will germinate.
- Propagation
- Bare root, container, seedHow to start new plants.
- 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
- ModerateWhether it creeps outward or stays put in a clump.