[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Yaupon Hollies



Kate and other Carolinabirders,

The Latin name of the Yaupon Holly comes from the fact that the berries 
make humans vomit; it was apparently used for this purpose by native 
Americans. I'm not sure if this is always true, or if the berries lose 
this property when they become edible to birds after freezing and thawing 
a few times. They also cause dia... um... Montezuma's Revenge, which some 
folks think assists in the successful dispersal of the seeds after 
they've been eaten.

Sandy Cash reports that the date of Dave Sibley's visit to the Regulator 
Bookshop on 9th street in Durham, May 5, is also the date of the Durham 
Spring Bird Count. Hmmmmmm. Maybe we should arrange to have a lunchtime 
countdown in one of the 9th street restaurants...

My girlfriend's suet feeder is finally attracting some customers, but not 
the ones I expected: Cardinals! Not sure if they really like the suet, or 
if they're just picking out the seeds. I'm just glad SOMEbody's eating it!

Good birding,

Josh

On Sun, 1 Apr 2001, Kate Finlayson wrote:
> 
> Thanks for more interesting info. love the yaupon
> holly story. Is that why vomit is in its latin name?
> > 
> > Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria), a species native to the NC
> > coastal plain. Apparently, the bright red berries are inedible when
> > they first ripen. Somehow, after 2-3 freezes, the freezing and 
> > thawing renders them edible. Then the waxwings move in...

Joshua S. Rose
Duke University
Department of Biology (Zoology, R.I.P.)

jsr6@acpub.duke.edu
http://www.duke.edu/~jsr6/