News

It's time for our annual spring flush, and the Yaupon game is strong!   Here's a pic of Kyle with some of the huge leaves which are coming through at our Florida harvest sites.   We'll be sure to keep you updated as the harvest progresses!  

  YAUPON Ilex vomitoria Aiton Plant Symbol = ILVO Contributed by: USDA NRCS East Texas Plant Materials Center Photo courtesy:USDA/NRCS East Texas Plant Materials Center Caution: Ingestion of berries causes nausea and vomiting. Yaupon is the only plant native to North America that contains caffeine. Alternate Names Yaupon holly, cassena, cassina, cassine, evergreen cassena, evergreen holly, Indian black drink, Christmas berry. Uses Ethnobotanical: Native Americans in the southeastern United States used this plant extensively. They used the wood to build arrows, and roasted leaves and shoots to make a dark, tea like drink called "black drink". This drink was used...

  YAUPON Ilex vomitoria Aiton Plant Symbol = ILVO Contributed by: USDA NRCS East Texas Plant Materials Center Photo courtesy:USDA/NRCS East Texas Plant Materials Center Caution: Ingestion of berries causes nausea and vomiting. Yaupon is the only plant native to North America that contains caffeine. Alternate Names Yaupon holly, cassena, cassina, cassine, evergreen cassena, evergreen holly, Indian black drink, Christmas berry. Uses Ethnobotanical: Native Americans in the southeastern United States used this plant extensively. They used the wood to build arrows, and roasted leaves and shoots to make a dark, tea like drink called "black drink". This drink was used...

Yaupon is North America's only native caffeinated plant species, and it has been consumed by Native American tribes for at least 10,000 years. Traditionally, the natural range of Yaupon extends from East Texas in the west, to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina in the east.