Yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria)
A species of holly that is native to southeastern North America. The word 'yaupon' is derived from the word for 'leaf' in the Catawban language. The scientific name was given after early Europeans, observing indigenous purification ceremonies where vomiting was induced by a beverage containing yaupon among other herbs, incorrectly assumed that yaupon itself was emetic. (It has been suggested that the name may have been given nefariously, as the British East India Company viewd Yaupon as a possible threat to their monopoly in the global tea market).
The plant was traditionally used by Native Americans and Euro-American colonists to make an infusion containing caffeine and theobromine. This drink went by different names, such as cassina, beloved drink, or white drink among natives and "Carolina tea", or "South Seas tea" among colonists. Today, it is primarily known as yaupon tea. It is one of only two known plants endemic to North America that produce caffeine. (The other, containing 80% less, is Ilex cassine, commonly known as dahoon holly). In recent years, in its native areas in the United States, yaupon has begun to be harvested commercially for making tea, but it also grows well in the UK and if you have your own bush, it's a very easy process that can be done at home.
Sowing and growing
Getting seeds to germinate is said to be very difficult, as they need two long periods of cold stratification. As yet, we have no experience growing from seed, but we are planning starting some seeds this year with an induced first stratification, followed by warm period through late summer and autumn, then a second natural stratification over winter. We'll update in spring 2027 with our results.
Propagation
Vegetative propagation from cuttings is possible, though with patchy results. We struck over 60 hardwood cuttings in autumn, overwintered them in an unheated greenhouse, and 12 of them were successful. This accords with available literature, which suggests around 15% success. Taking semi-hardwood cuttings in late summer is also supposed to work, although the literature we found detailed the process in a North American context, so we'll wait to see what kind of results we get here in Scotland.
The plant was traditionally used by Native Americans and Euro-American colonists to make an infusion containing caffeine and theobromine. This drink went by different names, such as cassina, beloved drink, or white drink among natives and "Carolina tea", or "South Seas tea" among colonists. Today, it is primarily known as yaupon tea. It is one of only two known plants endemic to North America that produce caffeine. (The other, containing 80% less, is Ilex cassine, commonly known as dahoon holly). In recent years, in its native areas in the United States, yaupon has begun to be harvested commercially for making tea, but it also grows well in the UK and if you have your own bush, it's a very easy process that can be done at home.
Sowing and growing
Getting seeds to germinate is said to be very difficult, as they need two long periods of cold stratification. As yet, we have no experience growing from seed, but we are planning starting some seeds this year with an induced first stratification, followed by warm period through late summer and autumn, then a second natural stratification over winter. We'll update in spring 2027 with our results.
Propagation
Vegetative propagation from cuttings is possible, though with patchy results. We struck over 60 hardwood cuttings in autumn, overwintered them in an unheated greenhouse, and 12 of them were successful. This accords with available literature, which suggests around 15% success. Taking semi-hardwood cuttings in late summer is also supposed to work, although the literature we found detailed the process in a North American context, so we'll wait to see what kind of results we get here in Scotland.
