The Yaupon Tree

Occasionally when I am out and about, I come across something that just strikes my fancy. Today was one of those days that I spied something so pretty that I just had to get a picture. I literally climbed into the brambles to get the right angle..the sun was falling quickly in the west and I wanted my picture! After several ant bites, a few scratches from briers and a pair of mud-filled shoes, I succeeded! I got the photograph that I wanted and made a mental note of the location of a very pretty little tree! Yes..this struggle was all for a picture of a tree! Not just any tree, though, a very special Yaupon Tree! Why is this Yaupon Tree so special that I would go to such great ends to merely get a photograph? Well, you see..I had no idea that I still had any on the hill! What with hurricanes coming in on the Bay, Hubby mowing around on his tractor and Son wielding his ax and snips..I feared for the safety of most every small tree on the whole place! Like hurricanes, Hubby and Son are very indiscriminate when it comes to clearing a piece of the property! They just cut whatever is in the way..whereas...I want to leave everything! Anyway, I was excited to see the Yaupon Tree even though it is growing right smack dab in the marsh of the Bayou. Perhaps at least it is safe there!

The Yaupon Tree is actually sought after by many gardeners simply because of the beauty it brings to the Fall garden. When most other plants are starting to wane, the Yaupon suddenly bursts into color with its flaming red berries! These red berries fill the entire branches of the small tree. With its whitish bark and bright green leaves, when the berries ripen to red, the tree is gorgeous! These berries are eaten by many birds which is an added plus to any nature-loving gardener! Usually, the birds wait until after a freeze-thaw cycle before they devour the berries so at least we get to enjoy the beauty throughout Fall. A few mammals such as squirrels, raccoons and mice will eat the berries, too, if they can reach them or some like the armadillo will grab up the ones birds knock from the branches.

A member of the Holly Family, the Yaupon goes by the name of Ilex Vomitoria. This is not a very pleasant sounding moniker but there is reasoning behind it. The story is that Native Americans would make a tea from the leaves and twigs of the Yaupon Tree to use in a cleansing ceremony. After drinking copious amounts of the tea, they would fall to vomiting thus purifying the body. Whether the story is true is yet to be seen but a tea made from the Yaupon Tree fails to induce much purging. The vomiting might have been self-induced or due to other added ingredients..who knows???? The active ingredient in the leaves and twigs is caffeine so unless you have problems drinking coffee, this should not bother you! Not that I recommend you stripping your Yaupon Tree to test the theory but it is an interesting tale.