Habit: Ilex cassine grows as a large shrub to small tree up to 14 m in height with smooth gray/white bark, occasionally pubescent. The leaves are arranged alternately, up 15 cm in length, oblong/obovate/oblanceolate, with an entire (occasional margin spines and/or revolute) leaf margin and an obtuse to emarginate (occasionally mucronate) leaf apex. The leaves are dark green at maturity.
Ilex cassine is dioecious. The flowers occur in cymose clusters along the stem from leaf axils. The calyx has 4 greenish unfused sepals. The corolla has 4 white unfused petals. The staminate flowers have 4 stamens and a nonfunctional carpel. The carpellate flowers have 4 nonfunctional stamens and the ovary is superior with 4 locules. The fruit is a drupe that is bright red at maturity.
Habitat: Ilex cassine grows in Pine Woodlands, Sabal palmetto Woodlands, and Dry Broadleaf Evergreen Formations – Woodland/Shrublands (Scrublands) often near wetlands.
Distribution: Ilex cassine is found on the northern pine islands in the Lucayan Archipelago as well as Cuba and the eastern and southern United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Medicinal/Cultural/Economic usage: Ilex cassine has no known medicinal uses in the Bahamas.
Ilex cassine has been used in landscaping.