Dahoon holly

Florida Forest Trees

Dahoon holly (Ilex cassine)

Trees and shrubs in the holly family, Aquifoliaceae, are widely used for landscaping all over the world. Dahoon holly is no exception and is grown for its thick, dark green foliage and attractive red berries. Dahoon holly is not valued for ornamental use as many of the other holly species are. In the forest, however, dahoon holly provides an extremely valuable source of food for many overwintering songbirds and other wildlife like quail and wild turkey.		Twigs, leaves, and fruit
Dahoon holly is native to Florida, as is American holly (Ilex opaca). It is very similar to American holly, especially its fruit and flowers. However, dahoon holly leaves are not as leathery and the leaf margins are not as thorny as the American holly. Dahoon holly has margins that are toothed with small spiny tips from the middle of the leaf to the apex. Dahoon holly grows from Virginia to southern Florida and west to southeastern Texas.

Identifying Characteristics
Size/Form:	Dahoon holly is a shrub or small tree that reaches heights of 26'. It has a pyramidal crown.
Leaves:	The leaves are simple, alternately arranged, and persistent. The leaves are 1 ¼" to 4" long and ¼" to 1 ¼" wide. The oblong shaped leaves usually have shiny green upper surfaces while the underneath surface is paler. The leaf base is tapering and the leaf tip is pointed. The margin is smooth with a few small teeth above the middle of the leaf.
Fruit:	The fruit is a red, occasionally yellow or orange, berrylike drupe that is about ¼" each in diameter. They occur in small clusters along the twig.
Bark:	The dark gray bark is thin and rough.
Habitat:	Dahoon holly grows in the moist, fertile soils of wetland areas near streams and swamps. Other species it is associated with include sweetgum, pond pine, willows, swamp tupelo, and sugarberry.

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Fruit	leaf compare	Leaf

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