Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Campanulids: Aquifoliales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA (2/8/20):
Ilex decidua
FAMILY
Aquifoliaceae
NEW! Click to go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
You may also want to check Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina
Read more about Possumhaw at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Ilex decidua
FAMILY
Aquifoliaceae
INCLUDING
Trees, Shrubs, Woody Vines of north Florida & adjacent GA & AL (Godfrey, 1988)
Ilex decidua var. decidua
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 112-01-004a:
Ilex decidua var. decidua
FAMILY
Aquifoliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Ilex decidua
COMMON NAME:
Possumhaw, Possumhaw Holly
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmidecidua_far2b
April-May? Lancaster County SC
Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve
Flowers similar to other hollies; petals and sepals usually 4, rarely 5, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide.
)
JK Marlow jkm0506l_16
June Union County SC
Sumter National Forest: Tyger Ranger District
)
JK Marlow jkm0506l_17
June Union County SC
Sumter National Forest: Tyger Ranger District
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_ilex_decidua_4
November
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_ilex_decidua_5
November
Drupes scarlet, lustrous, 6-8mm in diameter, on stalks 3-5mm long, per Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast.
)
Ron Lance rwl738_a
November
Leaf blades widest above the middle, bases wedge-shaped, margins undulate, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide.
WEAKLEY'S FLORA (2/8/20):
Ilex decidua
FAMILY
Aquifoliaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Ilex decidua
FAMILY
Aquifoliaceae
INCLUDING
Trees, Shrubs, Woody Vines of north Florida & adjacent GA & AL (Godfrey, 1988)
Ilex decidua var. decidua
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 112-01-004a:
Ilex decidua var. decidua
FAMILY
Aquifoliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Ilex decidua
738
Shrub; Tree
Perennial
Usually dioecious
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common (uncommon in Mountains)
Habitat: floodplain forests, less commonly on mesic (or even dry), upland slopes, per Weakley's Flora
NEW! Click here to see a map from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US showing range and abundance.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring
White/Greenish-white
Usually unisexual
5-merous (4-merous?)
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Red or rarely yellow
Drupe
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South p068
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee p248
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC p301
- Landscaping with Native Trees p127
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast p087
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide p077
- Trees of the Southeastern United States p305
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide p174
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region p246