Ilex vomitoria Aiton

Yaupon Holly

Shrub

Perennial

Vascular

Yaupon is a native evergreen shrub in the Holly family (Aquifoliaceae). It is native to the southern two thirds of Alabama. Yaupon occurs in sandhills, in long leaf pine woodlands, and in floodplain forest, often forming dense thickets in areas that are not burned. It is a multi-trunked shrub from eight to fifteen feet in height. The small evergreen leaves have rounded teeth along their margins. The flowers are small, white, and have four petals. The fruit is a red or orange drupe. A drink made from the leaves of the Yaupon was consumed by Native Americans and was called the “black drink” by Europeans. Leaves were picked near the time of consumption, then lightly roasted and seeped in boiling water until a dark brown color was obtained. Usually only males or high-ranking females were allowed to consume the black drink. The active ingredient in the drink was caffeine, and black drink contains 3 to 6 times the amount of caffeine as a similar amount of coffee. In some tribes the black drink was consumed daily while in others it was only consumed during rituals. Europeans noticed that participants drinking large quantities of the black drink would often vomit, hence the scientific name of this species. It is not known if vomiting was induced by the large quantities of black drink consumed, or if other herbs were added to the drink to induce vomiting. In South America a similar drink called Yerba mate is made from the leaves of Ilex paraguariensis A. St. Hil., and is still a popular beverage there. Yaupon tea was consumed in the United States as a substitute for tea or coffee when those were unavailable. Yaupon fruit are an important food source for many birds and small mammals. Yaupon is widely planted as an ornamental and many horticultural varieties are available including dwarf, weeping, and yellow fruited forms. Like most species in the genus, there are separate male and female plants. Only female plants will produce fruit.--A. Diamond

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Native FAC (NWPL)

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