Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson extension and Making It Grow. One of our native hollies has many uses in our home or business landscapes. The common name for this plant is yaupon holly which sounds a lot nicer than the scientific name – Ilex vomitoria. Native American people used the small, olive-green evergreen leaves to brew a very, very strong tea. When consumed in copious amounts, it resulted in vomiting and was used as part of purging routines.
Interestingly, you can brew a mild tea with the leaves which some people find quite refreshing. All plants in the genus Ilex are dioecious, a plant will either have female or male flowers. The females of this species have especially lovely fruits, the berries are almost a transparent red. Birds and small mammals eat these fruits when there isn’t much else left – so the plants remain attractive throughout the winter and into early spring.
