Yaupon Holly (and other holly questions)
 

Heya,

Is anyone growing Yaupon Holly in Raleigh? If so, could I possibly have a
few trimmings or sprigs? I've heard that the leaves contain caffeine and I
would like to experiment with brewing them.

Also, speaking of hollies - which is the best local nursey for them? I was
amazed at the variety of hollies at Lowes - I had no idea they were so
variable and beautiful (_Weeping_ Holly!?). We picked up a dwarf one just
for fun there, but I'd love to see what variety can be found at a big local
nursery.

*And* - which are considered the best hollies to plant along a fenceline? We
want them to provide a dense, prickly border something between a hedge and
a windbreak - a 'wall-o-holly', if that image helps at all :)

--
Susan Hogarth
"We dissent, secondly, because the powers vested in Congress by this
constitution, must necessarily annihilate and absorb the legislative,
executive, and judicial powers of the several states, and produce from
their ruins one consolidated government, which from the nature of things
will be an iron handed despotism, as nothing short of the supremacy of
despotic sway could connect and govern these United States under one
government."
- Minority opinion on the ratification of US Constitution

Susan

I believe yaupon is a native holly. There are weeping varieties of it also.
They are very common. Just about any nursery should carry them.

--
Baine

On your "other question," I like Apex Nursery for hollies.

They grow their own plants, so you know they are aclimitized (sp?). The
cater to the professional landscapers, so their hours are not the best (M-F
8-12 and 1-5, and they REALLY close from 12-1!).

Doc Muhlbaier

"Susan Hogarth" wrote in message
om...
Heya,

Is anyone growing Yaupon Holly in Raleigh? If so, could I possibly have a
few trimmings or sprigs? I've heard that the leaves contain caffeine and I
would like to experiment with brewing them.

Also, speaking of hollies - which is the best local nursey for them? I was
amazed at the variety of hollies at Lowes - I had no idea they were so
variable and beautiful (_Weeping_ Holly!?). We picked up a dwarf one just
for fun there, but I'd love to see what variety can be found at a big
local
nursery.

*And* - which are considered the best hollies to plant along a fenceline?
We
want them to provide a dense, prickly border something between a hedge and
a windbreak - a 'wall-o-holly', if that image helps at all :)

--
Susan Hogarth
"We dissent, secondly, because the powers vested in Congress by this
constitution, must necessarily annihilate and absorb the legislative,
executive, and judicial powers of the several states, and produce from
their ruins one consolidated government, which from the nature of things
will be an iron handed despotism, as nothing short of the supremacy of
despotic sway could connect and govern these United States under one
government."
- Minority opinion on the ratification of US Constitution

Susan Hogarth wrote:

Is anyone growing Yaupon Holly in Raleigh? If so, could I possibly have a
few trimmings or sprigs? I've heard that the leaves contain caffeine and I
would like to experiment with brewing them.

I just tried Yaupon tea for the first time at lunch today - it's delicious!
It's smooth and flavorful, doesn't need any sugar. I was expecting it to
be similar to yerba mate, which is made from the leaves of another holly,
Ilex paraguayensis. Yerba mate is more of an acquired taste, but enjoyable
and also gives you a jolt of caffeine. To me Yaupon tea tasted more like
the South African rooibos. You can find both yerba mate and rooibos
locally in specialty food stores such as A Southern Season, but Yaupon
you'll have to collect yourself.

A few months ago I noticed the numerous Yaupons at work were putting on a
new flush of growth, so I collected some tender young leaves, dried them at
low temperature in an oven, then crumbled them into a jar. I'd almost
forgotten about it until I read your message.

Some might be put off by the scientific name Ilex vomitoria, which refers
to the Native American ceremonial use as an emetic and purgative. However,
I remember reading somewhere that they had to consume large quantities of
Yaupon tea before they achived the desired effect. Regular tea would
probably also have this effect if you drank too much of it. Yaupon makes
an excellent tea - don't be afraid to try it.

Yaupon makes an excellent ornamental, too, and grows very well locally.
There's even a weeping cultivar available, though I prefer its natural
form. I have some photos of it here, part of my website on "Trees, Shrubs,
and Woody Vines of Central North Carolina":

http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/ilvo.html

*And* - which are considered the best hollies to plant along a fenceline? We
want them to provide a dense, prickly border something between a hedge and
a windbreak - a 'wall-o-holly', if that image helps at all :)

While I much prefer the native hollies, I must admit that if you want an
impenetrable fenceline, it's hard to beat the Chinese Holly, Ilex cornuta
http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/ilco.html
It is somewhat invasive, spreading into the woods through bird droppings. A
less aggressive native or hybrid holly would be better, but I'm not sure
what to recommend.

--
Charles W. "Will" Cook w 919-660-7423
http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook
Box 90340, Biology Dept., Duke Univ., Durham, NC 27708

I don't think you'd want to brew this one as tea. The native americans used
to use this holly for vomiting. Look up the latin name and you'll see,
it's ilex vomitoria or something like that. If you do brew i wouldn't do it
after eating anything.


"Susan Hogarth" wrote in message
om...
Heya,

Is anyone growing Yaupon Holly in Raleigh? If so, could I possibly have a
few trimmings or sprigs? I've heard that the leaves contain caffeine and I
would like to experiment with brewing them.

Also, speaking of hollies - which is the best local nursey for them? I was
amazed at the variety of hollies at Lowes - I had no idea they were so
variable and beautiful (_Weeping_ Holly!?). We picked up a dwarf one just
for fun there, but I'd love to see what variety can be found at a big
local
nursery.

*And* - which are considered the best hollies to plant along a fenceline?
We
want them to provide a dense, prickly border something between a hedge and
a windbreak - a 'wall-o-holly', if that image helps at all :)

--
Susan Hogarth
"We dissent, secondly, because the powers vested in Congress by this
constitution, must necessarily annihilate and absorb the legislative,
executive, and judicial powers of the several states, and produce from
their ruins one consolidated government, which from the nature of things
will be an iron handed despotism, as nothing short of the supremacy of
despotic sway could connect and govern these United States under one
government."
- Minority opinion on the ratification of US Constitution

bud wrote:
I don't think you'd want to brew this one as tea. The native americans used
to use this holly for vomiting. Look up the latin name and you'll see,
it's ilex vomitoria or something like that. If you do brew i wouldn't do it
after eating anything.

I just looked up Yaupon in the Peterson Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants.
It says the *berries* are poisonous and can cause vomiting and diarrhea.
The leaves, however, make an excellent tea.

Here's a site with some information on traditional uses:

http://www.uihealthcare.com/depts/me...vomitoria.html

"Although early descriptions of aboriginal North American use of the black
drink characterized it as an emetic, this effect is believed to have
resulted from the consumption of enormous quantities of the beverage and/or
the addition of other purgative ingredients such as button snakeroot."

In any event, it makes an excellent ornamental and grows very well in the
Triangle area.