About Ilex cassine L.
Ilex cassine L., commonly called dahoon holly or cassena, is a species of holly. The name cassena comes from the Timucua term for Ilex vomitoria. This plant is native to the southeastern coast of North America, with a range extending south along the Atlantic East Coast from Virginia to Florida, and west along the Gulf Coast to the Colorado River in Texas. Subspecies grow further south along the Gulf of Mexico coast to Veracruz, Mexico, and also grow in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas. Within its native range, it grows along the margins of waterways and swamps. It is a large evergreen shrub or small tree that reaches a maximum height of 12 meters (39 ft). Its leaves are glossy dark green, 6–15 cm long and 2–4 cm broad, with smooth margins or a few small spines near the leaf tip. Ilex cassine produces small white flowers with a four-lobed corolla. Like other hollies, it is dioecious, meaning individual plants are either male or female. Only female plants produce fruit, which is a red drupe 5–6 mm in diameter that contains four seeds. A male pollenizer plant must be nearby for bees to pollinate female plants. Ilex cassine is cultivated as an ornamental plant in warmer climates, valued for its bright red berries displayed against glossy green leaves.
