Myriad Botanical Gardens - Oklahoma City, USA

Common name: Yaupon Holly

Family: Aquifoliaceae (Holly family)

Distribution: North America

IUCN Red list: Not evaluated

Hardiness: 7a

Life form: Evergreen shrub/sub-shrub

Comments: Yaupon Hollys are broadleafed, dioecious (separate male and female plants)evergreens that can grow from 10'-20' tall and 8'-12' in spread. They grow in average, medium to wet soils in full sun to part shade often along the coastal plain and maritime forests from Virginia to Florida, Arkansas and Texas. It generally tolerates more drought than most other hollies. Elliptic to ovate-oblong, leathery, glossy, evergreen, dark green leaves (to 1.5” long) have toothed margins. Small greenish-white flowers appear on male and female plants in spring (April). Flowers are fragrant but generally inconspicuous. Pollinated flowers on female plants give way to berry-like red (infrequently yellow) fruits (1/4” diameter) which ripen in fall and persist into winter as well as attract birds. Native Americans used the leaves to make a ceremonial emetic drink which, when consumed in large quantities, caused a cleansing now memorialized by the specific epithet.