Native Plant Database

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Ilex vomitoria (Yaupon)
Marcus, Joseph A. (Austin, TX)

Ilex vomitoria Ait.

Yaupon, Yaupon holly, Cassina

Aquifoliaceae (Holly Family)

USDA Symbol: ilvo

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

Native from southern Virginia south to Florida and west to southeast Oklahoma and central Texas, Yaupon is a picturesque, upright, single- or multi-trunked shrub or small tree, growing 12-45 ft high but usually no higher than 25 ft. Female plants produce prodigious amounts of bright red, persistent berries. The leaves are dark green and small, usually less than 1 1/2 in. long. The pale gray bark is marked with white patches.

Yaupon Holly is often grown in residential landscapes and trimmed into hedges, with many cultivars popular: weeping forms, columnar forms, and dwarf forms. The ornamental twigs with shiny evergreen leaves and numerous red berries have been used as holiday decorations and make cheerful accents in the winter landscape. The leaves and twigs contain caffeine, and American Indians used them to prepare a tea, which they drank in large quantities ceremonially and then vomited back up, lending the plant its species name, vomitoria. The vomiting was self-induced or because of other ingredients added; it doesnt actually cause vomiting. Tribes from the interior traveled to the coast in large numbers each spring to partake of this tonic, and it was also a common hospitality drink among many groups. It remained popular as such among southeastern Americans into the 20th century and is still occasionally consumed today, with a flavor resembling another holly drink, the South American yerba mate, from Ilex paraguariensis. Yaupon is slow-growing and tends to get thick and twiggy on the inside, making it ideal for dense hedges but requiring careful pruning to shape it into a tree. You must have both a male and female plant to have berries. Nursery plants are typically female (fruiting) and are propagated by cuttings.

 

From the Image Gallery

View herbarium specimen from Harry T. Cliffe Bexar Regional Herbarium.

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub , Tree
Root Type: Tap
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Size Class: 12-36 ft.
Leaf Shape: Elliptic , Ovate
Leaf Venation: Pinnately Veined
Leaf Pubescence: Glabrous
Leaf Margin: Crenate
Leaf Apex: Obtuse , Rounded
Leaf Base: Rounded
Leaf Texture: Smooth
Breeding System: Dioecious
Inflorescence: Axillary
Fruit Type: Drupe
Size Notes: 12-45 feet, but usually no higher than 25
Leaf Color: Green
Fruit Length: quarter inch
Fruit Color: red, sometimes yellow

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White
Bloom Time: Apr , May

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , FL , GA , LA , MS , NC , OK , SC , TX , VA
Native Distribution: S.e. VA to FL, w. to AR, s.e. OK, & s.c. TX
Native Habitat: Low, maritime woods; hammocks; sandy pinelands; limestone uplands.
USDA Native Status: L48(N)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade , Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist , Dry
CaCO3 Tolerance: Low
Cold Tolerant: yes
Heat Tolerant: yes
Soil Description: Moist or well drained, sandy, loamy, clay, limestone, or gravelly soils.
Conditions Comments: Yaupon is a versatile plant that tolerates drought and poor drainage, with best production of red fruit when shrub gets half a day of sun or more.
Texas comments: Natural range in the state confined to east Texas, north-central Texas, and central Texas, but a popular residential landscaping plant throughout the state and beyond.

Benefit

Use Ornamental: A densely branching, evergreen shrub or small tree that can take severe hedging and pruning. Females have decorative red berries. Many cultivars available, including weeping, columnar, and dwarf varieties.
Use Wildlife: Many species of birds eat the fruit but usually only in late winter after several freezes and thaws. Mammals eat the fruit as well, and the flowers attract insects. Birds employ the dense branches for nesting sites.
Use Medicinal: The young leaves and twigs contain caffeine and may be used to make a tea.
Use Other: Fruiting branches used as holiday decorations.
Interesting Foliage: yes
Attracts: Birds , Butterflies
Larval Host: Henrys Elfin butterfly
Nectar Source: yes
Deer Resistant: Moderately

Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)

Ilex vomitoria is a larval host and/or nectar source for:
Elf
(Microtia elva)

Larval Host
Learn more at BAMONA

Propagation

Propagation Material: Seeds , Semi-hardwood Cuttings
Description: Seeds germinate best if planted immediately after collection. They may be pretreated with double-stratification. Semi-hardwood cuttings taken in late fall can be made to root.
Seed Treatment: Some benefit may be obtained from 30-60 days treatment at 68-86 degrees followed by 60-90 days of 41 degrees.
Commercially Avail: yes
Maintenance: Can be sheared into geometric hedges or carefully pruned for a tree shape. Shape annually for best results.
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PlantWise: Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants

Ilex vomitoria (Yaupon) is a PlantWise native alternative for:

   Ligustrum japonicum (Japanese privet)
   Nandina domestica (sacred bamboo)
   Phyllostachys aurea (golden bamboo)
   Pyracantha coccinea (scarlet firethorn)

Mr. Smarty Plants says

Question: Hello, I am a chef from Buenos Aires Argentina visiting Austin, Texas and would like to learn about native, edible plants in the region. Please let me know if there are any native, edible plants and if they grow wild, I can harvest them myself, or if there is a place I can purchase them. thanks, salud!!
click here to view the full question and answer

Question: Help, my oleanders are dying. I am in need of hedge suggestions- ideal would be quick growing, maybe 8-12 feet at their tallest. I live in Central Texas.
click here to view the full question and answer

Question: Looking to replace Red Tips with major leaf spot infections. Need about third replaced. What suggestions would you have to replace these privacy hedge row type plants? Need a plant that will grow at least 5 feet tall. The plants are provided with water by a drip sprinkler system. Thank You.
click here to view the full question and answer

Question: I need advice on what tall evergreens I can plant along a fence line for privacy. I need trees that will be at minimum 8 to 10 feet tall at maturity, are aesthetically pleasing and provide privacy.
click here to view the full question and answer

Question: Mr. Smarty Plants, Please recommend a tall, thick shrub to conceal the 6 foot chain link fence around the perimeter of our property. The fence is located down a hill from our home with western exposure and full sun. While we can run a soaker hose down there to establish the roots, I would love to have tall shrubs that will conceal the fence, act as a noise barrier from the street and require no watering throughout the summer. Is there such a plant? The nursery recommended red tip photinias but after reading your article about disease with these plants, I'm reconsidering. Thank you for your advice.
click here to view the full question and answer

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX
Pineywoods Native Plant Center - Nacogdoches, TX
Texas Discovery Gardens - Dallas, TX
Brackenridge Field Laboratory - Austin, TX
Patsy Glenn Refuge - Wimberley, TX
Native Plant Society of Texas - Fredericksburg, TX
Crosby Arboretum - Picayune, MS
Stengl Biological Research Station - Smithville, TX
* Available Online from Wildflower Center Store

Bibliography

Black Drink: A Native American Tea (1979) Hudson, Charles M.
Gardening with Native Plants of the South (1994) Wasowski and Wasowski
* How to Grow Native Plants of Texas and the Southwest: Revised and Updated Edition (2001) Nokes, J.
Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas and the Southwest (1991) Miller, G. O.
Native & Naturalized Woody Plants of Austin & the Hill Country (1981) Lynch, D.
* Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants (2006) Burrell, C. C.
* Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (2002) Wasowski, S. & A. Wasowski
Texas Wildscapes: Gardening for Wildlife (1999) Damude, N. & K.C. Bender
Trees of Central Texas (1984) Vines, Robert A.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Ilex vomitoria in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Ilex vomitoria in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Ilex vomitoria

Metadata

Record Modified: 2010-01-18
Research By: TWC Staff, GDG

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