Plant · P-1015

Possumhaw

Ilex decidua

Possumhaw is a deciduous holly that grows as a large, multi-stemmed shrub or small tree with pale gray, twiggy branches. Female plants carry clusters of small orange-red berries that persist through winter after the leaves drop, feeding songbirds and small mammals into late season when other food is scarce. It spreads slowly by root suckers to form a loose thicket and tolerates wet, clay or sandy ground, needing a male plant nearby to pollinate the females and set fruit.