Ilex glabra A.Gray

Shrub 1–3 m with finely puberulent twigs; lvs coriaceous, evergreen, oblanceolate, 2–5 cm, a fourth to a third as wide, obtuse, cuneate at base, punctate beneath, bearing 1–3 minute appressed teeth on each side near the tip; fls mostly 6–8-merous, the staminate in small, pedicellate clusters, the pistillate mostly solitary; fr black, 4–5 mm, firm, dry, persistent; nutlets smooth on the back. Bogs, swamps, and wet woods on the coastal plain; N.S. to Fla. and La. June, July.

Wet acid soils. Wetlands, bogs, seeps, swamps, lake, pond borders and creek bottoms along the coastal plains; also in pine flatwoods, pine barrens, prairies, terraces, and savannahs in more upland areas.

The leaves are dried and roasted and used to make tea. They contain caffeine. The flowers yield a distinctive honey.

Plants can be grown from seed but germination is slow. They can also be grown from cuttings. It has roots near the soil surface so can be damaged by weeding and digging.