Ilex vomitoria Bordeaux® (Dwarf Yaupon Holly)

Ilex vomitoria Bordeaux® is an especially showy dwarf cultivar of yaupon holly, a woody, broadleaf evergreen shrub or small tree that is native to the southeastern US and Mexico. Although its species name, vomitoria, may raise some eyebrows, this name is drawn from the plant's traditional use in pre-Colonial ritual teas, which were drank by some Native American populations for ritual use; occasionally, ingestion of large quantities of this tea would induce vomiting due to the naturally occuring caffeine and theobromine, which are both found in chocolate and yerba mate. Flowering in mid to late spring, yaupon holly produces inconspicuous white flowers, which are attractive to a number of pollinators; due to mix-ups between different dwarf cultivars, it is possible to find Ilex vomitoria Bordeaux® as both male and female individuals, so it is important to keep this in mind as you look for accent plants.

Beyond its slightly off-putting name, Ilex vomitoria is an excellent addition to the landscape with a lot of ecological appeal, and this dwarf cultivar, Bordeaux®, makes the appealing aspects of yaupon holly accessible to smaller garden spaces as well. Bordeaux® grows with a mounding behavior to only about 2-3' tall and about 3-5' wide, with beautiful reddish hues to its new growth, making it an excellent and highly ornamental choice for low-maintenance hedges or coastal areas where it can show off its high salt tolerance. 'Nana' performs best in full to part sun and medium-wet soils, but tolerates deer, drought, over-watering, and harsh winters.