Ilex cassine

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Ilex cassine
Ilex-cassine-new-hanover-co-nc-29aug2009-P1210171-cwcook.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Aquifoliales
Family: Aquifoliaceae
Genus: Ilex
Species:
I. cassine
Binomial name
Ilex cassine
Ilex cassine range map 4.png
Natural range in United States

Ilex cassine is a holly native to the southeastern coast of North America that grows from Virginia to the Colorado River in Texas, with subspecies growing southward on the Gulf Coast as far as Veracruz, Mexico, and in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas in the Caribbean. It is commonly known as dahoon holly [2] or cassena, the latter derived from the Timucua name for I. vomitoria . [3]

Contents

It is a large shrub or small tree growing to 12 meters (39 ft). [4] The leaves are evergreen, 6–15 cm long and 2–4 cm broad, glossy dark green, entire or with a few small spines near the apex of the leaf. The flowers are white, with a four-lobed corolla. The fruit is a red drupe, 5–6 mm in diameter, containing four seeds. [5] [6] [7]

As with other hollies, it is dioecious with separate male and female plants. Only the females have berries, and a male pollenizer must be within range for bees to pollinate them.

Varieties

There are three varieties: [2]

Ilex × attenuata is a naturally occurring hybrid of Ilex cassine and Ilex opaca . [8]

Natural range and cultivation

Ilex cassine is indigenous to the southeastern coast of North America and the Caribbean, growing along the margins of waterways and swamps from Virginia to the Colorado River in Texas, [9] with subspecies growing southward as far as Veracruz on the Gulf Coast, and in the Caribbean on the coasts of Cuba, the Bahamas, and Puerto Rico. [10]

It is cultivated in warmer climates as an ornamental plant for the attractive bright red berries set against the glossy green leaves. It is known to grow as high as 12 meters (39 ft). [4]

Stimulant

Ilex cassine leaves, like those of its sister species I. vomitoria, contain measurable amounts of the stimulants caffeine and theobromine. The leaves of both species may have been used in the Native American cassena (the Black drink), and there has been confusion in the literature as to which species was commonly used to brew the drink, but I. vomitoria provides more caffeine and was probably the usual ingredient in cassena.

An analysis of the levels of methylxanthines in the leaves used in various stimulant drinks found that I. cassine leaves have about 20% (by dry weight) of the amount of caffeine found in I. vomitoria, 8% of that in Coffea arabica , and about 3% of the caffeine in Camellia sinensis Kunze. I. cassine has twice as much theobromine as I. vomitoria and 20% of the level in C. sinensis Kunze (C. arabica does not contain significant amounts of theobromine), but the stimulant effect of theobromine is just 10% of that of caffeine. [4]

The Native peoples of Florida used the hollowed-out shells of Lightning Whelks (Busycon contrarium), a kind of sea snail found on the east and west coasts of Florida, as drinking vessels in their black drink ceremonies. [11] [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caffeine</span> Central nervous system stimulant

Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine class. It is mainly used as a eugeroic (wakefulness promoter) or as a mild cognitive enhancer to increase alertness and attentional performance. Caffeine acts by blocking binding of adenosine to the adenosine A1 receptor, which enhances release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Caffeine has a three-dimensional structure similar to that of adenosine, which allows it to bind and block its receptors. Caffeine also increases cyclic AMP levels through nonselective inhibition of phosphodiesterase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herbal tea</span> Beverage made from infusing or decocting plant material in hot water

Herbal teas, also known as herbal infusions and less commonly called tisanes, are beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water; they do not usually contain any true tea. Often herb tea, or the plain term tea, is used as a reference to all sorts of herbal teas. Many herbs used in teas/tisanes are also used in herbal medicine and in folk medicine. Some herbal blends contain true tea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theobromine</span> Bitter alkaloid of the cacao plant

Theobromine, also known as xantheose, is the principal alkaloid of Theobroma cacao. Theobromine is slightly water-soluble (330 mg/L) with a bitter taste. In industry, theobromine is used as an additive and precursor to some cosmetics. It is found in chocolate, as well as in a number of other foods, including tea, some American hollies and the kola nut. It is a white or colourless solid, but commercial samples can appear yellowish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guarana</span> Species of tree

Guaraná is a climbing plant in the family Sapindaceae, native to the Amazon basin and especially common in Brazil. Guaraná has large leaves and clusters of flowers, and is best known for the seeds from its fruits, which are about the size of a coffee bean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kola nut</span> Fruit of the kola tree

The kola nut is the seed of certain species of plant of the genus Cola, placed formerly in the cocoa family Sterculiaceae and now usually subsumed in the mallow family Malvaceae. These cola species are trees native to the tropical rainforests of Africa. Their caffeine-containing seeds are about 5 centimetres (2.0 in) across and are used as flavoring ingredients in various carbonated soft drinks, from which the name cola originates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yerba mate</span> Species of plant

Yerba mate or yerba-maté is a plant species of the holly genus Ilex native to South America. It was named by the French botanist Augustin Saint-Hilaire. The leaves of the plant can be steeped in hot water to make a beverage known as mate. Brewed cold, it is used to make tereré. Both the plant and the beverage contain caffeine.

<i>Ilex opaca</i> Species of holly

Ilex opaca, the American holly, is a species of holly, native to the eastern and south-central United States, from coastal Massachusetts south to central Florida, and west to southeastern Missouri and eastern Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caffeinated drink</span> Type of drink

A caffeinated drink, or caffeinated beverage, is a drink that contains caffeine, a stimulant that is legal practically all over the world. Some are naturally caffeinated while others have caffeine added as an ingredient.

<i>Camellia sinensis</i> Species of evergreen shrub

Camellia sinensis is a species of evergreen shrub or small tree in the flowering plant family Theaceae. Its leaves, leaf buds, and stems can be used to produce tea. Common names include tea plant, tea shrub, and tea tree.

Decaffeination is the removal of caffeine from coffee beans, cocoa, tea leaves, and other caffeine-containing materials. Decaffeinated products are commonly termed by the abbreviation decaf. Decaffeinated drinks contain typically 1–2% of the original caffeine content, but sometimes as much as 20%.

<i>Ilex vomitoria</i> Species of holly

Ilex vomitoria, commonly known as yaupon or yaupon holly, is a species of holly that is native to southeastern North America. The word yaupon was derived from the Catawban yą́pą, from yą- tree + pą leaf. Another common name, cassina, was borrowed from Timucua. The Latin name comes from an observation by early Europeans that the ingestion of the plant was followed by vomiting in certain ceremonies.

Cassina may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Delaware Botanic Gardens</span> Botanical Gardens at University of Delaware, Delaware, United States

The University of Delaware Botanic Gardens are botanical gardens and an arboretum located on the campus of the University of Delaware, in Newark, Delaware, United States. The gardens are open to the public without charge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yaupon tea</span> Beverage made from yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria)

Yaupon tea is refers to several kinds of caffeinated beverages originally brewed by Native Americans in the Southeastern United States and later adopted by Europeans and Americans. It is generally brewed from yaupon holly, which is native to the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, and is related to yerba mate and guayusa. The Native drink may also have included the related dahoon holly and other herbs.

<i>Ilex aquifolium</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Aquifoliaceae

Ilex aquifolium, the holly, common holly, English holly, European holly, or occasionally Christmas holly, is a species of flowering plant in the family Aquifoliaceae, native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest Asia. It is regarded as the type species of the genus Ilex, which by association is also called "holly". It is an evergreen tree or shrub found, for example, in shady areas of forests of oak and in beech hedges. In the British Isles it is one of very few native hardwood evergreen trees. It has a great capacity to adapt to different conditions and is a pioneer species that repopulates the margins of forests or clearcuts.

<i>Ilex guayusa</i> Species of holly

Ilex guayusa is a species of tree of the holly genus, native to the Amazon Rainforest. One of four known caffeinated holly trees, the leaves of the guayusa tree are harvested fresh and brewed like a tea for their stimulative effects. It is known simply as guayusa in western languages like Spanish, as waisa in Kichwa and as wayus or wais in Shuar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holly</span> Genus of plants in the family Aquifoliaceae

Ilex or holly is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. Ilex has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen or deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones worldwide. The type species is Ilex aquifolium, the common European holly used in Christmas decorations and cards.

<i>Callophrys henrici</i> Species of butterfly

Callophrys henrici, the Henry's elfin or woodland elfin, is a North American butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. In Canada it is found from southern Manitoba to southern Nova Scotia. It has two main groups of populations in the United States; the first is found along the Atlantic Coast and uses various hollies (Ilex) as host plants; and the second is found mainly in the north and the Appalachians where they use redbud as a host plant. Henry's elfin is increasing in New England because of an introduced buckthorn it now uses as a host plant. It is listed as a species of special concern in the US state of Connecticut.

Caffeine synthase is a methyltransferase enzyme involved in the caffeine biosynthesis pathway. It is expressed in tea species, coffee species, and cocoa species. The enzyme catalyses the following reactions:

<i>Nyssa biflora</i> Species of tree

Nyssa biflora, commonly referred to as the swamp tupelo, or swamp black-gum is a species of tupelo that lives in wetland habitats. Swamp tupelo grows chiefly in the coastal plains from Delaware, eastern Maryland, and southeastern Virginia, south to southern Florida and west to eastern Texas. Its range extends north up the Mississippi Valley to southern Arkansas and west and south Tennessee.

References

  1. ↑ Rhodes, L.; Maxted, N.; Stritch, L. (2018). "Ilex cassine". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T20678718A20695061. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T20678718A20695061.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Ilex cassine". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 2011-09-20.
  3. ↑ Austin, Daniel F. (2004). Florida Ethnobotany. CRC Press. pp. 590–591. ISBN   978-0-8493-2332-4.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Edwards, Adam L.; Bennett, Bradley C. (June 2005). "Diversity of Methylxanthine Content in Ilex cassine L. and Ilex vomitoria Ait.: Assessing Sources of the North American Stimulant Cassina" (PDF). Economic Botany. 59 (3): 277. doi:10.1663/0013-0001(2005)059[0275:DOMCII]2.0.CO;2. ISSN   0013-0001.
  5. ↑ Florida Department of Environmental Protection: Florida's Hollies Archived 2010-02-09 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN   0-333-47494-5.
  7. ↑ "Ilex cassine Fact Sheet". Archived from the original on 2008-05-06. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  8. ↑ "Ilex × attenuata 'Fosteri'". Plant Finder. Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  9. ↑ Rätsch, Christian (2005). The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants : Ethnopharmacology and Its Applications. Rochester, Vt. : Park Street Press. pp. 284–287. ISBN   978-0-89281-978-2.
  10. ↑ NCCE Staff. "Ilex cassine (Cassine, Cassine Holly, Dahoon, Dahoon Holly, Narrowleaf Dahoon Holly) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox". plants.ces.ncsu.edu. N.C. Cooperative Extension. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  11. ↑ Bullen, Ripley P. (September 1978). "Pre-Columbian Trade in Eastern United States as Viewed from Florida". The Florida Anthropologist. 31 (3): 94–95.
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