'Folsom's Weeping' holly is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the holly family (Aquifoliaceae) native to eastern North America. This cultivar name is applied to both male and female plants. It is easy to grow with a tolerance for either dry and wet sites, drought and salt and urban conditions. It can reach 15 to 20 feet tall, sometimes as tall as 30 feet, and 6 to 12 feet wide. Plant 'Folsom's Weeping' holly in average well-drained soils in sun to shade, though female plants will produce more fruit and both male and female will have a thicker canopy with more sun. It is tolerant of a wide range of soil types and can withstand both drought and occasional flooding. Red berries are attractive to birds and small mammals. Flowers appear in spring on separate male and female plants. Female plants need a male pollinizer in the area in order to bear fruit. The plant will form thickets unless suckers are removed. It makes a good screen, windbreak, or security plant, grows rapidly, and transplants easily. This plant can take heavy pruning and is good for topiary. The weeping form makes it great as a specimen or accent plant. Fire Risk: This plant has a high flammability rating and should not be planted within the defensible space of your home. Select plants with a low flammability rating for the sites nearest your home. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Resistant to Phytophthora root rot. No insect or disease problems when planted in their native habitat. Holly leaf miner, spider mites, whitefly, and scale are occasional problems. Leaf spot, leaf rot, tar spot, and powdery mildew are potential disease problems. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common diseases and insect pests. VIDEO: Part of a series of Native Plant Picks from the North Carolina Sea Grant Coastal Landscapes Initiative. More information on Ilex vomitoria .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Fills a similar nicheIlex cornuta 'Burfordii'Ilex vomitoriaIlex vomitoria 'Dwarf'
Full plant profile
Growing Conditions
Plant type
Native Plant; Perennial; Shrub; Tree
Life cycle
Perennial; Woody
USDA zones
7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry | Occasionally Wet
Available space
6-feet-12 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 15 ft. 0 in. - 30 ft. 0 in. | Width: 6 ft. 0 in. - 12 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Multi-stemmed; Weeping
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Ovate
Leaf margin
Crenate; Serrate
Leaf feel
Glossy; Leathery
Leaf value
Good Cut; Long-lasting
Leaf size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Ovate, alternate, simple leaves, 1/4 inch to 3/4 inches, with serrate to crenate margins. Rounded apex and base.
Flower color
Green; White
Flower value
Fragrant
Flower form
Cyme; Insignificant
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
White inconspicuous but fragrant flowers in spring appear on male and female plants. The flowers are solitary or in pairs and are clustered on peduncles in leaf axils. Petioles are purplish.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Berry; Drupe
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Produces translucent, small red berries that usually persist to spring.
Bark color
Light Gray; White
Bark detail
Thin, smooth and light gray to almost white. As the tree ages, the bark might become a bit scaly.
Stem color
Gray/Silver; Purple/Lavender
Stem detail
Very young stems are purplish in color and turn silvery-gray as they age.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern United States and Mexico.
Distribution
Southern United States from Virginia south to Florida and west to Texas.
Wildlife value
Fruits are attractive to birds and small mammals. Flowers attract bees. Members of the genus Ilex support the following specialized bee: Colletes banksi.
Attracts
Pollinators; Small Mammals; Songbirds; Specialized Bees
Play value
Wildlife Food Source
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Leaves
Harvest time
Fall; Winter
Fruit type
Berry; Drupe
Edibility
Use caution. The young leaves may be picked, browned and dried in an oven, steeped in hot water and used to make Yaupon tea. It contains caffeine. In quantities, can be mildly toxic.
Uses (ethnobotany)
Native American Indians used the leaves to make a ceremonial emetic drink which, when consumed in large quantities, caused a cleansing now memorialized by the specific epithet. Also contains caffeine.