Yaupon Holly - Ilex vomitoria

Why am I blogging on Yaupon Holly? Could it be because I have one in my front yard? Perhaps I'm blogging on it because it is a fine evergreen plant that works as a screen or a specimen when limbed up. Don't forget that it is native to Alabama and other nearby states and has a fine show of red berries every fall through to spring! Nope....I like it's scientific name and the story behind it - Ilex vomitoria...



Yaupon (Ilex vomitoria) was a sacred shrub to American Indians throughout the Gulf Coast region, where it grows. The leaves contain caffeine and, when used in small amounts, can be made into a mildly stimulating drink. The local American Indians, however, used it in great amounts to induce vomiting (thus the scientific name, Ilex vomitoria) during their rituals. Europeans, observing these purging ceremonies, gave the plant its species name.