Use as a specimen plant or as an understory in a mixed hardwood forest setting. This tree blooms in early spring before the leaves come out. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Hummingbirds and cardinals are known to be interested in the nectar.  Squirrels may eat the fruits. , Habitat, Dry-moist sites. Upland hardwood forests on fertile mesic slopes and ravines, hammocks, floodplain forests, slope forests, seep slopes, floodplains wi , Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy flowers Larval plant for several moth species. Primary pollinators are bees. , Did You Know?

Specimen plant or background plant in moist informal garden. This is a mid-sized bunching grass until the flower stalk shoots up in the fall. Then it , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, The flower stalks need to be removed once no longer showy. , Wildlife, Birds will eat the seeds.  Provides cover. , Habitat, Flatwoods, marshes, coastal swales, cypress ponds, lake shores, cutthroat seep. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits Host plant for the Clouded Skipper butterfly (Lerema accius) , Did You Know?, Yerba mate, the traditional tea-like beverage from South America, is made with leaves of a close relative to our holly trees, the Ilex Paraguayanis. Y

Use as a tall groundcover or small shrub. , Tolerance, Tolerant of occasional/brief inundation such as can occur in storm surges. Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray. Exposure t , Considertions, Can become somewhat weedy. , Habitat, Hammocks, disturbed sites , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Nectar plant for Bahamian swallowtail (Heraclides andraemon), cassius blue (Leptotes cassius), Florida white (Appias drusilla), gray ha

Has male and female plants. Only the females will have showy seed heads. Clematis terniflora is a similar-looking non-native white Clematis that is co , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, May become overly large if not trimmed. , Wildlife, Attracts hummingbirds  (https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/). , Habitat, Wooded sites, disturbed areas, thickets near roadsides. Typically wet. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits Larval host for the mournful thyris (Thyris sepulchralis). Attracts  bees (https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/).

Use as a groundcover in moist areas. Also useful in wetland restoration areas. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Aggressive, so plant where this will not be a problem or where nothing else will grow. , Habitat, Swamps, marshes. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage

Specimen plant, screen plantings, sometimes with unusual or weeping form. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Thorns. , Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife consume the fruit.  Used as browse by deer and rabbits. , Habitat, Dry sites. Open woods, mixed woods, sandy pinelands. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Thorns Larval food for hummingbird clearwing moth(Hemaris thysbe), striped hairstreak butterfly(Satyrium liparops), and blinded sphinx