Common Name: Yaupon

Scientific Name: Ilex vomitoria

Order: Celastrales

Family: Aquifoliaceae

Description Yaupon is a type of holly. It is an evergreen, perennial plant. It can grow to be around 15-30 feet tall and have a 15-20 feet crown width. Its crown round with a smooth outline and relatively open. It is known for its vase shape. The leaves are simple and fine with pinnate venation. They are dark green with a lighter colored underside and are less than 2 inches in length. The leaves are alternate and oval in shape with a slight serration. It has thin, smooth, light grey bark with white splotches and does not have thorns. Its branches droop as the tree grows. Yaupon flowers in the spring, producing inconspicuous white flowers. Females produce bright red berries when a male plant is available for pollination. Berries form in dense clusters throughout the plant and remain attached through winter and into spring.

Growth Habit Yaupon is most easily established by transplant rather than seed because seeds can take up to 18 months to germinate and require cold stratification. Yaupon is a medium to fast growing plant that grows upright; it can reach up to 30 feet in height in ideal conditions. Although it grows relatively fast, it requires about 10 years to develop its distinct vase-shape. Yaupon can be trained to grow with one or multiple trunks.

Hardiness Zone(s) Yaupon is found in the USDA hardiness zones 7-9, meaning that the plant is found in coastal states.

Culture Yaupon is adapted to a wide variety of soil types, such as clay, loam, sand, acidic, alkaline, flooding, and well-drained soils. In fact, it prefers sandy sites. Yaupon is tolerant of many different climate conditions such as drought (once established) and salinity/salt spray.

Diseases & Insects Yaupon is a relatively disease-free plant. Some pests include scale, leaf miners, mites, and aphids but typically do not create a serious problem.

Landscape Value Yaupon is a hedge plant. It can be used as a privacy border, as it produces a thick screen of vegetative material when trimmed correctly. It can also be trimmed into ornamental shapes and designs. The lower limbs can be removed to expose the lightly colored bark, providing an attractive contrast with the dark green foliage. Yaupon has been successfully grown in urban areas where air pollution, poor drainage, compacted soil, and drought are common.

Interesting Facts Human ingestion of the yaupon’s berries can cause nausea and vomiting. Yaupon is the only plant native to North America that contains caffeine. Native Americans used the wood to construct bows and arrows. They also roasted the leaves and shoots to make a dark tea-like drink called “black drink.” This drink was used medicinally to induce vomiting as well as for ceremonies to purify the body. Although human experience nausea and vomiting, many birds and small mammals consume the berries in the fall. They also use the plant’s dense thickets as cover in the winter.

References Gilman, E. F. and D. G. Watson. 1993. Fact Sheet ST-311. Environmental Horticulture Department. Agricultural Engineering Department. Cooperative Extension Service. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611. Shadow, R. A. 2011. Plant fact sheet for Yaupon, Ilex vomitoria. USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, East Texas Plant Materials Center, Nacogdoches, TX, 75964.

This document was authored by Mary Deweese, Department of Agricultural Sciences, Louisiana Tech University, April 2015.