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Ilex cassine L.

Dahoon (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Aquifoliales > Aquifoliaceae > Ilex

Characteristics

A tree. It grows 8 m tall. It has small sword shaped leaves. They are leathery and have shallow teeth. The leaves are 8-10 cm long. They have soft prickles along the edges. Male and female flowers are on separate plants. The flowers are small and greenish white. They are held in small, hairy clusters near the ends of branches. The fruit are red berries.
Life form perennial
Growth form
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality dioecy
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 2.5 - 4.0
Mature height (meter) 7.9 - 8.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) 0.3
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

A tropical plant. It grows in coastal swamps and moist, coastal forests. It can tolerate occasional flooding with fresh or brackish water. It suits hardiness zones 6-11. Melbourne Botanical Gardens.
More
Cold swamps and on their borders in rich moist soils. Occasionally also found on high sandy banks of pine barren streams.
Light 3-8
Soil humidity 4-8
Soil texture 2-5
Soil acidity 2-7
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 6-10

Usage

The leaves have been used for tea. They are dried and roasted. The leaves contain caffeine. CAUTION: They can cause dizziness and have a laxative effect.
Uses environmental use food gene source material medicinal tea wood
Edible leaves
Therapeutic use Diaphoretic (unspecified), Emetic (unspecified), Kidney Aid (unspecified), Urinary Aid (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

It can be grown from seed. Cuttings or layering can be used. They do not transpalnt easily, so should be sown direct. They also do not like pruning.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Leaf

Ilex cassine leaf picture by norma linden (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Ilex cassine fruit picture by Josh Senften (cc-by-sa)
Ilex cassine fruit picture by Emily Banana (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Ilex cassine world distribution map, present in United States of America

Conservation status

Ilex cassine threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:83134-1
WFO ID wfo-0000729281
COL ID 3PF9M
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Ageria palustris Prinos cassinoides Ageria cassena Ageria geminata Ageria heterophylla Ageria obovata Hexotria lanceolata Ilex angustifolia Ilex angustifolia Ilex cassena Ilex cassine Ilex dahoon Ilex floridana Ilex ramulosa Ilex rosmarinifolia Ilex wrightii Cassine caroliniana Cassine corymbosa Cassine ramulosa Hierophyllus cassena Ilex atramentaria Ilex lanceolata Ilex ligustrifolia Ilex religiosa Ilex watsoniana Ilex lanceolata Ilex laurifolia Ilex castaneifolia Ilex cassinoides Ilex cassinoides Ilex peragua Ilex phyllyreaefolia Ilex cassine var. cassine Ilex angustifolia var. ligustrifolia Ilex cassine var. latifolia Ilex dahoon var. angustifolia Ilex dahoon var. ligustrina

Lower taxons

Ilex cassine subsp. mexicana Ilex cassine subsp. myrtifolia Ilex cassine var. parvifolia
WorldFloraDB 2024