The Yaupon Holly is a distinctive evergreen native holly found in coastal counties in NC and other Southeastern states over to Texas. It tolerates a whole range of moisture regimes (wet to dry), soil types and pH, sunlight conditions (full sun to shade, but more sun makes more berries), and is both cold and heat tolerant. All this adaptaibility makes Yaupon exceptionally valuable for landscaping, and there are many cultivars in the trade. The species is considered a shrub or a shrubby tree, finely textured, often with a vase-shaped form upon maturity. Another outstanding trait of Yaupon is its superb prunability, and its natural form is almost never observed in landscaped areas. Yaupon lends itself to being shaped into hedges, arbors, espaliers, topiary, lollipop-shaped street trees, all kinds of ornamental shapes. In the wild it can reach as tall as 30 feet. Yaupon Holly is easily identified by it’s upright, rigid, almost-white branches. It’s leaves are ovate, leathery, glossy, and evergreen with rounded serrations which, the USDA points out, distinguishes it from the similar looking but horribly invasive Chinese Privet, Ligustrum sinense. Yaupon is dioecious (male and female flowers on separate plants) and the flowers appear in April. They are fragrant but generally inconspicuous. If a male is nearby, female flowers develop into strongly red berries of high clarity which persist into winter and are an important source of nourishment for a number of bird species. Yaupon can also be pollinated by nearby male specimens of either Ilex opaca (American Holly) or Ilex decidua (Possumhaw Holly).
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Ilex vomitoria
Key Info
Common Names: Yaupon, Yaupon Holly, Cassina, Cassena, Cassine, Evergreen Holly, Indian Black Drink, Christmasberry
Family Names: Aquifoliaceae (Holly Family)
Plant Type: Tree / Shrub
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Flower Color: White
Additional Info
Habit: Upright, multi-stemmed, irregularly branched form 10-20’ tall and 10’ wide, but may grow taller in optimum conditions; dense canopy; tap root.
Height: 20'
Spread: 12'
Soil Conditions: A broad range of conditions: dry to wet; acid to slightly alkaline pH; sand, loam, clay.
Leaves: Small (1.5 inches x 34 inch wide), simple, alternate, glossy, ovate to elliptical dark green above and lighter below, with crenate or coarsely serrated margins, rounded base and prominent, pinnate venation.
Flowers (or reproductive structures: Small, white, fragrant, inconspicuous 4-parted flowers in spring: male flowers in axillary clusters of 4 on a male plant; female flowers also axillary, either singular or in groups of 2-3, on a female plant.
Fruit: Fruits occur on female plants in the fall: small, round, shiny, usually red drupes ~1/4 inch diameter, containing four nutlets (pyrenes), which are eventually dispersed by birds eating the fruit.
Natural Distribution: Coastal areas in well-drained, sandy soils such as maritime forests ot coastal sand dunes; also in the sandhills in sandy pinelands.
USDA Hardiness Zone: 7 to 9
USDA Wetland Indicator Status in NC: FAC
Pollination: Bees, butterflies, other insects.
Wildlife Connections: Many species of song and game birds consume the berries in winter (ducks, mourning doves, ruffed grouse, quail, turkeys, bluebirds, robins, catbirds, mockingbirds, sparrows, flickers, sapsuckers), as well as small mammals (armadillos, black bears, gray foxes, raccoons, skunks). Stands of Yaupon, being evergreen, provide cover for many animals in winter. The foliage supports many caterpillars, and like other Ilexes, this species is a larval host for Henry's Elfin Butterfly. There are conflicting reports as to its susceptibility to deer browse.
Propagation: From seed (double stratification) or from hardwood cutting in late fall, not guaranteed.
Southeastern Native Plant Nursery and Landscaping
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