This tree has been my 365 Project subject before. I think these berries look good enough to eat, but the leaves are the part used for ages by southeastern U.S. Indian tribes to make tea for both recreation and ceremony. Early white settlers knew the tea as "the black drink." The leaves contain more caffeine by weight than both coffee beans and green tea, and it has the highest caffeine content of any plant native to North America. Yaupon holly is also high in antioxidants and less bitter than green tea.
