Ilex cornuta 'D'Or' Drought Tolerant Roasted yaupon leaves and twigs

Roasted yaupon leaves and twigs were the source of the caffeinated 'black drink' that Indigenous peoples of the Southeast brewed for ceremony and trade

The genus name itself is far older

Unlike the tropical members of the hibiscus tribe

this is the form that finally made gardeners look twice at a native shrub long overlooked despite centuries of quiet usefulness

the classic mallow saucer set against distinctly gray-green foliage

Ilex cornuta 'D'Or' Drought Tolerant Roasted yaupon leaves and twigsIlex cornuta 'D'Or' is the golden fruited version of a garden classic, a glossy evergreen Chinese holly hung through fall and winter with large, clear yellow berries in place of the usual red. The dark green, leathery leaves are nearly spineless, most carrying just a single spine at the tip, so the effect is polished rather than fierce, the bright fruit standing out cleanly against the deep foliage. The plant began as a happy accident. Sometime in the