Possumhaw Holly

Ilex decidua

Hills guide picknative · Hill Countrysold locallycaution

Possumhaw Holly is a small tree native to the Texas Hill Country that grows 12–20 ft tall and 12 ft wide. It wants full sun or part shade and medium water, and handles caliche and clay soil. Blooms white in spring. Good for birds.

Caution — people, pets. Berries cause stomach upset if eaten.

Wet ground only. Usually found in wetlands and creek bottoms. It wants reliably moist ground and struggles in a dry upland bed.

Will it grow in your yard?

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From our guide

Village of the Hills

Deciduous holly that drops its leaves in fall to reveal branches densely packed with red berries that hold through winter.

Why it works here

The most dramatic winter feature of any Central Texas native. Berries feed birds when little else is available.

Watch out

Only females fruit — buy a named female. Berries are visually best against an evergreen backdrop.

The facts

8 sources

Type: Small tree
Sun: Full sun to part shade (3+ hrs)
Water: Medium
Height: 12–20 ft
Spread: 12 ft
Bloom: Spring · white
Foliage: Deciduous
Soil: Takes caliche and clay · recorded on caliche, clay, loam, moist, poor drainage, sand
Deer: Moderate — deer may browse it, especially new growth. Berries taken; foliage largely ignored
Wildlife: Supports birds

Size, sun, water and foliage from the Village of the Hills guide; the rest resolved across sources.

Where it grows

Recorded in these EPA Level IV ecoregions in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:

Balcones CanyonlandsEdwards Plateau WoodlandNorthern Blackland PrairieSouthern Post Oak SavannaFloodplains and Low TerracesLimestone Cut PlainSan Antonio Prairie

3,741 occurrence records in Central Texas (GBIF).

Can you buy it?

Sold at local nurseries. Confirmed in stock at a Central Texas grower in these sizes:

1, 5, 10, 30, 45, 65, 95 gallonballed & burlapped

From the growers we read so far — a short list, not the whole trade. Call ahead.

also grows from seed It starts readily from seed, so a packet from a native-seed supplier, or seed collected with permission, is often the easiest way to get a plant no nursery pots.