Since it is that time of year when holly is basically everywhere as a decoration I made a short video about some native holly species that are great for pollinators and songbirds. The hollies don't get as much talk in the habitat world as some other shrubs, but in the spring they are covered with native bees, and some are even the source of major nectar flows used by honeybees.

Hope you find it useful.

Anthony

All hollies are nectar producers. The famous gallberry honey of the South is a holly, ilex glabra.

Interesting and informative video as usual Anthony. I have two American Holly trees (Ilex opaca ) on my property. I found this one in the woods 15 to 20 years ago and hilled it in along with some mountain laurel and rhododendron. By the time I got around to moving it it was too big to risk the move. It is now 12 to 14 feet tall and it’s now permanent location (whether I like it there or not).



It flowers and gets berries every year. I assume it is getting pollinated by this little male that is also hilled in and will be getting moved to its permanent location this spring. I found this one in the woods as well.



The berries on the bigger tree are about half gone. There are song birds flitting in and out of there all day long. There was a mocking bird harassing them for about a week or so but I haven’t seen him in a while.



I tried growing some holly trees from seed last winter. I think I waited too long and the seeds were no longer viable. Nothing sprouted. I’m going to try again. I’m going to pick some berries this week, remove the seeds and get them planted outside so they can get cold stratified. Hopefully I have better luck come spring.

I had a third sapling that I found in the woods but it had a chronic case of holly leaf spot/tar spot and kept spreading it to the other two. The other two responded well to fungicide but not the one that originally got it. I finally got rid of it and haven’t had any problems with tar spot since.

Lugnut - that is a good looking American holly. I think most people believe it is a shrub, but American holly is a tree if you don't keep it pruned smaller. You likely did nothing wrong with the holly seed - it is double dormant and takes two years to sprout. This is why most commercially produced hollies are propagated from cuttings.

Warrior - I talk about the the gallberry nectar flow in the video. Pollinators like them all though.

The best holly of them all is Ilex vomitoria, which also happens to be 1 of only 2 known plants in North American to naturally contain caffeine. Most people have no idea what it is and it's a shame because it tastes amazing! I have every Holly that I think exists close by, might be some northern only hollies that aren't here.

Now you tell me! I just reused the planting pots from last winter's attempt. LOL

Ilex vomitoria, yikes, that sounds like something one definitely should not eat!

I don't think I've ever seen a Holly around here. Must be too far into the frozen north for them.

Every Alabama 4th grade school kid of my generation knows ilex vomitoria as the was used to make "black drink" by native americans. That and Hernando DeSoto and Maubila was a big part of 4th grade.

BTW, I.vomitoria is better known as yaupon holly and is a common ornamental as well as native species.

MattLA - yaupon tea is actually making a comeback and is a big hit with the foody, local foods crowd. Several places sell it - I even have a link in the video so people can order it if they want to try it. The amount of caffeine in yaupon is much higher than what Dahoon has. Recent studies have found that the stimulant alkaloid in Dahoon is most likely theobromine, an alkaloid better known for being in chocolate, and not caffeine.

Dirty D - you have to make yaupon tea super strong and drink a LOT of it to make you puke. Just brewing a cup full and drinking it is perfectly fine. When the Native Americans used it for ceremonies they drank large quantities, made it strong, and there is some evidence they may have also added other emetic herbs to the mix.

Thanks for all the feedback! I am hoping to get some projects started in the next couple of months that I will be making videos of.

I saw holly trees north of Philly. They were behind a residential area, so I don't know if they were planted, escaped, or native. They were big trees, not at all like the bushes that are up here

Rat _Pack - American holly, Ilex opaca, is a tree in its natural state. All the small American holly you see around houses are either cultivars selected for small size or they are kept small through pruning. There is an arboretum not too far from me that has a huge collection of American hollies and some of them are huge!

Anthony, I was impressed by how big those trees were. Probably 60+ feet and +/- 12" dbh

Yep, that sounds like American holly. They have a nice, tight grained, very white wood that is great for carving.

Yup, American holly has been used as a stand in for ivory in woodworking.

Yup theobromine is amazing. If you live in the South though, you don't need to buy it, they are more than likely able to go outside and pick, roast and make their own. I don't think any amount of Yaupon tea will make you vomit, I have drank a lot......I do think the berries though are what used to be added for some sort of ritual and those might add the vomit reflex. I have really experimented to try to find where it could make you vomit, I just don't think it by itself beyond just being a large quantity of any liquid. I have made it extremely strong and it's still very pleasant. Again 1 of 2 known plants in NA that are native and have caffeine.