Ilex vomitoria

Ilex vomitoria
Foliage and fruit
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Aquifoliales
Family: Aquifoliaceae
Genus: Ilex
Species:
I. vomitoria
Binomial name
Ilex vomitoria
Natural range

Ilex vomitoria, commonly known as yaupon (/ˈjɔːpɒn/) or yaupon holly, is a species of holly that is native to southeastern North America.[2] The word yaupon was derived from the Catawban yą́pą, from yą- tree + pą leaf.[3] Another common name, cassina, was borrowed from Timucua[4] (despite this, it usually refers to Ilex cassine). The Latin name comes from an observation by early Europeans that the ingestion of the plant was followed by vomiting in certain ceremonies.

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. It is only one of two known plants endemic to North America that produce caffeine. The other (containing 80% less) is Ilex cassine, commonly known as dahoon holly.[5] Recently, the plant has begun to be harvested for making commercial tea once again in the United States.[6]

Yaupon is also widely used for landscaping in its native range.

  1. ^ Stritch, L. (2018). "Ilex vomitoria". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T62390A47600649. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T62390A47600649.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Ilex vomitoria". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2011-09-19.
  3. ^ "yaupon". Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Merriam-Webster, Inc. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  4. ^ Cutler, Charles L. (2000). O Brave New Words!: Native American Loanwords in Current English. University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 10, 163, 215. ISBN 978-0-8061-3246-4.
  5. ^ Edwards, Adam L.; Bennett, Bradley C. (2005). "Diversity of Methylxanthine Content in Ilex cassine L. and Ilex vomitoria Ait.: Assessing Sources of the North American Stimulant Cassina". Economic Botany. 59 (3): 275–285. doi:10.1663/0013-0001(2005)059[0275:DOMCII]2.0.CO;2. JSTOR 4256992. S2CID 40377478.
  6. ^ Folch C. Ceremony, Medicine, Caffeinated Tea: Unearthing the Forgotten Faces of the North American Stimulant Yaupon (Ilex vomitoria). Comparative Studies in Society and History. 2021;63(2):464-498. doi:10.1017/S0010417521000116