Illustration
Yaupon Holly
Ilex vomitoria
Also called yaupon and cassina
Yaupon Holly blooms from April through April.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Yaupon Holly
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 7–9. Expect it to reach about 20 ft tall and 10 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 5 years (a house reading).
Is Yaupon Holly toxic to dogs or cats?
- Listed as toxic to dogs and cats by Pet Poison Helpline.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Yaupon Holly
Plant Yaupon Holly in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 8, the middle of its hardy zones 7 to 9, spring means February to April and fall means September or October. Once settled, it blooms in April.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 8, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 8 in February. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Yaupon Holly get?
20 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult10 ftwideSee Yaupon Holly in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Yaupon Holly
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Give Yaupon Holly about 10 ft of clear ground in every direction, measured from its center. It is one plant with room around it, not a row, and a raised bed is too small for it.
Add Yaupon Holly to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Yaupon Holly's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags were checked against 8 published sources on October 21, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finder, Ilex vomitoriaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- University of Florida IFASExtension, ENH470/ST311, Ilex vomitoria: Yaupon Hollyheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- kingssunsetnursery.comKing's Sunset Nursery, Ilex vomitoria ~ Yaupon Hollyheight, spread, hardiness zones, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolbox, Ilex vomitoriaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower CenterNative Plant Database, Ilex vomitoriaheight, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Society, Ilex vomitoriaheight, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- depts.ttu.eduTexas Tech University, Woody Plant Finder, Ilex vomitoriaheight, spread, hardiness zones and water
- Chicago Botanic Gardenarchived copyhardiness zones and bloom months and color
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Where it grows wild
Native to 11 states
United States: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia
Recorded growing wild in 254 counties.
Range data from the World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 4.0, adapted) and USDA PLANTS. How the native range is credited.
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Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.