{"product_id":"possumhaw-tree-seeds-deciduous-holly-ilex-decidua","title":"Possumhaw Tree Seeds | Deciduous Holly | (Ilex decidua)","description":"\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe most prolific red berry display of any native shrub. Bare stems loaded with fire in winter.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIlex decidua, the Possumhaw or Deciduous Holly, is the winter showstopper of the southeastern native plant world, a deciduous holly that drops its leaves in fall to reveal stems so densely covered in brilliant red to orange-red berries that the shrub appears to be on fire against a gray winter sky. Unlike the evergreen American Holly whose berries are partially hidden by foliage, Possumhaw's berries are fully visible on bare stems throughout the entire winter, creating one of the most sustained and dramatic native wildlife displays available in any temperate garden from November through March. It is native across the southeastern United States and lower Midwest, adaptable to wet and dry soils, sun and partial shade, and produces berries that sustain cedar waxwings, robins, bluebirds, and mockingbirds through the leanest months of winter. If you are looking to buy Possumhaw seeds or grow this native holly from seed, this is the native shrub that defines the winter landscape of the American South.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eBare stems loaded with brilliant red to orange-red berries from November through March, one of the most vivid winter displays of any native plant\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eBerries fully visible without foliage, unlike evergreen hollies whose fruit is partially obscured by leaves\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eNative across the southeastern United States and lower Midwest, adaptable to a wide range of conditions\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eCritical winter food source for cedar waxwings, American robins, bluebirds, and mockingbirds\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eDioecious, requiring male and female plants for berry production on female trees\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThings you probably did not know about the Possumhaw\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe berries remain on the stems long after other winter food sources have been consumed.\u003c\/strong\u003e Possumhaw berries are not the first choice of most berry-eating birds in fall when more palatable fruits are available. The birds move to Possumhaw in late winter, often February and March, after preferred berries of American Holly, spicebush, and other species have been exhausted. This delayed consumption pattern means Possumhaw provides food precisely when birds need it most, during the period of deepest winter before spring foraging opportunities develop, making it one of the most strategically timed native food plants in the eastern landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe name Possumhaw reflects historical observations of opossums feeding on the berries.\u003c\/strong\u003e The common name derives from early American naturalists observing Virginia opossums foraging on the berries of this deciduous holly, particularly in the colder months when the fruit represents one of the few reliable food sources accessible to the opossum's non-selective, opportunistic foraging behavior. The opossum connection is reflected in the common names of several southeastern native plants that produce fruit accessible during winter months.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSome Possumhaw populations produce orange or yellow berries rather than red.\u003c\/strong\u003e While the most familiar and most commonly grown Possumhaw selections produce brilliant red berries, natural populations across the southeastern range of the species include individuals with orange, yellow-orange, and occasionally yellow fruit. These color variants have been selected and named in nursery cultivation, with Warren's Red, Council Fire, and Byer's Golden among the commonly available named selections. Seed-grown plants from red parents typically produce red-berried offspring but may occasionally produce color variants.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe berry persistence through winter is a specific adaptation to winter-specialized bird dispersers.\u003c\/strong\u003e Possumhaw evolved to have its berries consumed primarily by winter-resident birds that are present when competing fruit sources have been depleted, a strategy that delays consumption until the timing optimizes seed dispersal into conditions suitable for spring germination. The berries become more palatable to birds after freeze-thaw cycles reduce astringency, explaining why birds show the strongest interest in late winter when the berries have experienced multiple temperature cycles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrowing Details\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBotanical Name:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ilex decidua\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStratification:\u003c\/strong\u003e Required, warm stratification of 60 to 90 days followed by 90 to 120 days cold stratification\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eUSDA Zones:\u003c\/strong\u003e 3 to 9\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoil:\u003c\/strong\u003e Adaptable, tolerates wet, dry, poor, or clay soils\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLight:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full sun to partial shade\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 7 to 15 feet\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpread:\u003c\/strong\u003e 5 to 10 feet\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrowth Rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e Moderate, 1 to 1.5 feet per year\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePlant at least one male and two or more female plants for maximum berry production and ensure a male is within 50 feet of each female. In February when the birds strip the berries in a single afternoon flock visit you will understand why this plant belongs in every southern native garden.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Evergreen Seed Co.","offers":[{"title":"5 Seeds","offer_id":52624110485826,"sku":"POSSUMHAW-5","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"10 Seeds","offer_id":52624110518594,"sku":"POSSUMHAW-10","price":4.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"25 Seeds","offer_id":52624110551362,"sku":"POSSUMHAW-25","price":5.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"40 Seeds","offer_id":52624110584130,"sku":"POSSUMHAW-40","price":6.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"100 Seeds","offer_id":52624110616898,"sku":"POSSUMHAW-100","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0938\/5456\/4674\/files\/POSSUMHAW_2000_x_1500_px_6.png?v=1774202071","url":"https:\/\/evergreenseedco.com\/products\/possumhaw-tree-seeds-deciduous-holly-ilex-decidua","provider":"Evergreen Seed Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}