# Yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria)

> A tough evergreen shrub or small tree (12-20 feet) with tiny glossy leaves, pale gray bark and, on female plants, translucent red berries that persist through winter. It takes sun or shade, drought or flooding, and heavy shearing, and is North America's only native caffeinated plant. The berries are not for people.

Source: https://treerm.org/trees/ilex-vomitoria · Updated 2026-11-08 · License CC BY 4.0

## Facts

- Also called: Yaupon, Cassina
- Family: Aquifoliaceae
- Type: Broadleaf evergreen
- Mature height: 5 m; spread 4 m
- Growth: Slow growing
- USDA hardiness zones: 7 to 9
- Light: Sun or part shade
- Water: Low water
- Soil: Almost anything: sand, loam, clay, limestone or gravel; wet or dry; tolerates poor drainage and salt
- Native range: Southeastern coastal plain from Virginia to Florida, west to Oklahoma and central Texas

**Benefits:** Birds, Wildlife, Drought tolerant, Salt tolerant, Flood tolerant, Fits small spaces, Pollinators

**Good for:** Screening, Hedgerow, Small yard, Street tree

**Watch out for:** Toxic parts

## Care

Water the first summer, then it is nearly carefree. Can be sheared as a hedge or limbed up into a small multi-trunk tree; shape annually since the interior gets twiggy. Female plants need a male nearby to fruit; most nursery plants are female. Pests are minor (leaf miner, scale). Highly flammable, so keep it out of a defensible space around rural homes.

## Where it stands

- **Native:** United States (Also native in: VA (USDA PLANTS distribution)); AL, United States; AR, United States; FL, United States; GA, United States; LA, United States; MS, United States; NC, United States; OK, United States; SC, United States; TX, United States
- **Recommended:** Austin, TX, United States (On the City of Austin Grow Green native and adapted plant list (Watershed Protection). Listed as 'Holly, Yaupon', a large evergreen shade-tolerant shrub; berries poisonous for humans.); Dallas, TX, United States (On the City of Dallas Article X Approved Tree List)

## Sources

- https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ILVO
- https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ILVO
- https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ilex-vomitoria/
- https://www.austintexas.gov/watershed-protection/plant-guide/holly-yaupon
- https://www.treefolks.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/NeighborWoodsTreeMenu-2026.pdf