Ilex opaca
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Tree
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Moist, well-drained, average
• Bloom Time: White flowers in April, May, June
• Size: 12-30 feet in height; 8-14 foot spread
Plant American Holly as an evergreen specimen, massed, or for hedges. Red berries persist through the winter but are only found on female plants when there is a male plant nearby.
Garden Companions
Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida), Mapleleaf Viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium)
Nature Benefits
• Berries eaten by many songbirds, gamebirds, and mammals
• Larval host for Henry’s Elfin butterfly
Native Habitat
Occurs in shaded woods, stream and riverbanks, uplands, and lowlands.
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