Meadow holly

Description

Ilex decidua (meadow holly, also called "possumhaw", "deciduous holly" or "swamp holly") is a species of holly native to the United States. This is an upright shrub or small tree that is typically between 10 and 15 feet at maturity though it may grow larger provided partial shade. I. decidua grows many thin trunks and stems in a clumping fashion If left un-managed it will develop a large spreading mound of foliage up to 30' in the wild. Bark is "light brown to gray" in color and may be smooth or "warty and roughened". Slender twigs are glabrous and silvery gray, with numerous spur shoots, pointed lateral buds, and acuminate scales. Distinguishing features of this species are crenate leaf margins and fruiting pedicels that are 2–8 mm long. Its "distinctive leaf shape... is less variable than other species of holly". Leaves are obovate, simple, alternating, and grow to 2.5-7.5 cm long. Although the plant is deciduous, it's dark green leaves do not present any appreciable fall color change prior to dropping. From March to May small white flowers bloom among the leaves which produce small Drupe fruits ripening in early autumn. Fruits are red (or rarely yellow), shiny, and globose (spherical, or nearly so), with a diameter of 4–8 mm. Following leaf drop, fruits persist on the tree throughout the winter producing a showy winter sight against the bare branches. While they have reached maturity by autumn, producing 3-5 seeds each, it is not until the spring, after they've been exposed to freezing and thawing, that the bitter fruits become a favorite food source of many birds and mammals. Ilex decidua is a common plant, growing in the US in Alabama, Arkansas, Washington, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. It also grows in the northern Mexico states of Chihuahua and Coahuila. It prefers land in floodplains and the margins of swamps or lakes, and grows at elevations up to about 360 m. It can often be found on limestone glades and bluffs, along streams in wet woods, and in lowland valleys, sloughs and swamps. Other plant species with which possumhaw is associated include water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica), overcup oak (Quercus lyrata), bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) and hackberry (Celtis spp.). The fruits attract songbirds and small mammals. Deer browse on young twigs.