Dahoon holly
By LYNN ARTZ, SANDY TEDDER and DAVID RODDENBERRY
Dahoon holly (Ilex cassine) delights in winter with its showy bright red-orange fruit. Clusters of small berry-like drupes on female trees attract birds and other wildlife. A small long-lived evergreen tree, dahoon holly grows to 20 to 30 feet tall in the wild. Its glossy green leaves lack the spines found on many hollies. In spring, tiny sweet-smelling white flowers on both female and male trees support native bees including a specialist bee. Underused in home landscapes, dahoon holly can be a specimen tree or used for screening. Naturally a wetland plant, dahoon holly prefers consistently moist soil in full sun to part shade. It resists hurricane winds and mildly tolerates salt spray. Several dahoon hollies grace the pond perimeter at Sopchoppy Depot Park.
