Dahoon (var. cassine) Ilex cassine var. cassine variety
Dahoon (var. cassine) is a perennial tree native to the lower 48 states. A host for pollen-specialist native bees.
More about this plant
Ilex cassine is a holly native to the southeastern coast of North America that grows from Virginia south down the East Coast to Florida, then west along the Gulf Coast to the Colorado River in Texas, with subspecies growing southward on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico as far as Veracruz, Mexico, and in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas. It is commonly known as dahoon holly or cassena, the latter derived from the Timucua name for I. vomitoria. Wikipedia →
Growing & care
USDA PLANTS · TRY- Hardiness
- ≥ zone 9 derived from its U.S. range
- Lifespan
- Perennial
Wildlife & pollinators
How pollinator value is scored →❧ Caterpillar hosts ~39 caterpillar species
Ilex supports ~39 caterpillar species.
Native butterfly & moth caterpillars are the base of the terrestrial food web — most songbirds rear their young almost entirely on them. As a host for native Lepidoptera this is a strong genus.
Recorded feeding on Ilex in North America, including:
+ 8 more species → ↑ show fewer
✦ Bees specialist-bee host
Specialist native bees depend on it.
Some native bees are pollen specialists (oligolectic) — they raise young only on pollen from particular plant genera. Ilex is a recorded specialist-bee host, so losing it can mean losing the bee that relies on it.
Related plants
More Ilex →
Sources for this entry (12) Open & cited
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