Dahoon holly
Ilex cassine

Hollies are what people think of when they hear the word "dioecious". This simply means that each plant has either male or female flowers.

By planting three or more plants in a cluster, you will be sure to have at least one male to ensure pollination and lots of red berries. You can always remove all but one male.

Dahoon holly is found along the edge of swamps from the keys throughout the Southeast Coast. It prefers moist, acid soils where it may recieve short term flooding yet will tolerate drought and grows from 15 to 30 or more feet.

If there is a wet area in your yard, try planting a group of Dahoon holly mixed with pond apple, cypress, swamp redbay, red maple, button bush, swamp fern, and other wetland species. The trunk becomes clear of branches as the tree gets taller and can be underplanted easily.

The small berries ripen in early fall and are a major food source for birds and other animals. The fruit are not poisonous to humans yet are not tastey.