Georgia Wildlife Federation

Resources < Wildlife Habitats < Native Plants < Native Plant Database < Ilex opaca

In winter, when the rest of the forest is gray and bare, American holly comes into its own, covering itself in eye-popping, bright red, berry-like drupes. These "berries" provide much-needed winter food for cedar waxwings, eastern bluebirds, mockingbirds, American robins, brown thrashers, rufous-sided towhees, red-bellied woodpeckers, hermit thrushes, and blue jays. Like all hollies, American holly is dioecious, so both a male and a female plant are needed for fruit production. A single male can pollinate up to three females.

Only female plants produce berries, but the males have plenty going for them, too. For one thing, both sexes have bark that is simply breathtaking—totally smooth, light silvery gray, and often patterned all over with white lichens. The exquisite paleness of the bark gets played up by the darkness of the leaves. Which brings us to another of American holly’s assets—evergreen foliage. A group of American hollies makes a great privacy screen and provides the perfect dark green backdrop for early-spring flowers. With lower limbs often skirting trees to the ground, the foliage also supplies birds and small mammals with protective cover year round.

Family: Aquifoliaceae (Holly Family)

Description: Small to medium-sized evergreen tree with leathery, dull green, spiny leaves. Inconspicuous greenish white flowers bloom in late spring. Bright red, berry-like drupes ripen in October and persist into winter.

Size: Grows up to 50’ high and 25’ wide, but is often smaller.

Habit: Trees are densely pyramidal in youth but take on a more open, irregular shape as they age, especially in shade. In sun, trees tend to stay more symmetrical.

Growth Rate: Very slow; 12 to 18" per year.

Light: Full sun to full shade.

Planting and Care: Transplanting may be difficult. For best results, plant in spring in moist, light, loose, well-drained, acid soil. Site in a protected place and avoid dry, windy areas.

Ornamental Value: Features include evergreen foliage; smooth, light gray bark; and bright red berries in fall and winter.

Landscape Usage: Plant as a single specimen or in groups to create a screen or hedge.

Wildlife Benefits: Larval host plant for Henry’s elfin butterfly. Fruits are eaten by many birds, including robins, bluebirds, mockingbirds, brown thrashers, and cedar waxwings.

Native Habitat: Found throughout Georgia in floodplains as well as hardwood and pine uplands.