Holly is a plant in the Aquifoliaceae family of plants, they are all holly plants of different species. Holly Oak trees are in a different family of plants, the Fagales and are not closely related.

Only male plants have pollen, so female plants can be safe to have in your garden if you are especially sensitive to all types of pollen. The female holly flowers are pollinated by insects, which means the pollen is less likely to cause allergic symptoms than those plants which are wind pollinated.

The red holly berries from these plants are mildly toxic to humans and can cause vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea.

Holly pollen is present in the UK between May and July in male plants only. This varies in different countries. It is considered to have low allergenicity unless you are in close contact with a male holly bush.

An allergy to holly pollen is associated with seasonal allergic rhinitis (hayfever).

A holly pollen allergy can also be linked to asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and atopic dermatitis.

There is not currently much information on which allergens are in holly pollen, so we cannot comment on cross reactivity of this plant. If you are interested in other pollens you can visit the Cross Reactivity Tool.

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