HOLLY FAMILY
253. SWAMP HOLLY (Ilex decidua Walt.) or possum haw, a common small tree or shrub thriving best in lowlands, but also grows on dry limestone bluffs. Leaves: 1 to 2 inches long, usually blunt at the tip, margins with small, rounded teeth. Twigs: light gray, the short stems often densely covered with fruit scars, resembling tiny cones; alternate on the branches. Bark: pale gray often mottled, smooth. Flowers: dioecious, white, very inconspicuous. Fruit: round, scarlet or orange, close to the branches, singly or few together, on wood of the previous year, often remain through winter. Wood: heavy, close-grained, creamy-white. This tree suffers from vandals, especially near Christmas, although not evergreen like its spiny-leaved relative, Ilex opaca which is grown commercially and is also a native of East Texas. Youpon (Ilex vomitoria) is another native of East Texas which resembles our swamp holly even more closely except that its leaves are evergreen, and its fruit more pulpy.
253 swamp holly