Growth form: Deciduous Holly is a large shrub or small tree producing white flowers in late spring followed by red berries on female plants in fall/winter. typically 10 to 15 feet tall,
Leaves, twigs, and bark: Leaves of possum-haw tree are simple, alternate, and entire, and 2-3 inches long. They have pale gray, twiggy, horizontal branches. Glossy, oval, toothed leaves remain dark green through autumn, finally turning yellow. Inconspicuous flowers precede clusters of red berries on female trees which provide winter color.
Leaves of Holly Tree #178, showing alternate leaf arrangement, entire margins. (Photos by T. Lee 1/2/2019) -
(Photo by Virginia Tech Dendrology)
Flowers: Possumhaw blooms from March to May. Species is dioecious; both male and females are short-stalked and greenish white with 4 petals, usually in small clusters,
Fruits: Round drupes on short stalks, 1/3 inch in diameter, reddish-orange to red in clusters of 2 to 4, ripening in fall but may persist through the winter
Clusters of red drupes from deciduous holly (photo by CamaliaTWU)
Native range and habitat: Floodplain forests and swamps; less commonly in mesic flatwoods, hardpan forests, and depression swamps. Frequent to locally common in the south & central Coastal Plain and south & central Piedmont; infrequent to rare in northern Virginia.
Distribution of Deciduous Holly across Virginia counties (VA Botanical Associates, 2019)
(Aquifoliaceae) Holly Family: Most hollies are dioecious, meaning a plant is either a male (staminate) or a female (pistillate). Holly flowers have radial symmetry, and are four-merous, that is, the flowers are round and floral parts occur in fours. Holly flowers have four sepals, four petals, four stamens (male flowers), and an ovary made up of four fused carpels, called a pistil (female flowers).The fruit is a drupe, which is similar to a berry, but with hard seeds instead of soft seeds, and may be red, orange, yellow, or black in color.
Ecologic Importance and Uses:
Wildlife: The fruits are an important food source for many songbirds and small mammals, especially in the winter when other food sources are scarce
Campus Specimens - Deciduous Holly
State and national champions? The biggest possumhaw tree in the country is located in Pitt, NC. This has a trunk circumference of 39 inches, height of 40 feet, and crown spread of 45 feet. Resulting in a total of 90 points. There are 2 Virginia state champion possumhaw trees they are located in Isle of Wight, VA, and Southampton, VA they both have a total score of of 76 points.
At Radford University, Deciduous Holly trees can be found on campus (highlighted circle below). All are on the west side of Moffet Hall, between the entrance to Moffet and Madison Halls,
Tree #175
Trunk circumference: 19.5 in
Tree height: 28 feet
Crown spread: 16 feet 8 in x 14 feet 6.5 in Average = 15.6 ft
Total points: 51.5
Notes:
Tree #176
Trunk circumference: 17.5 inches
Tree height: 26 feet
Crown spread: 11 ft 9 x X 15 ft 8.5 Average crown spread = 13.7 feet
Total points: 47
Notes:
Tree #177
Trunk circumference: 15 inches
Tree height: 24 feet
Crown spread: 12 ft 2 in x 10 ft 2 in Average crown spread = 11 ft 2 in
Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation. (2019). Deciduous Holly Fact Sheet, Virginia Tech Dendrology. dendro.cnre.vt.edu/DENDROLOGY/factsheets.cfm