Ilex cassine, the aboriginal North American tea /

The bulletin examines a coastal holly species whose leaves and twigs were traditionally brewed by southeastern Indigenous peoples into a stimulant decoction used in ritual and social contexts. It summarizes botanical characteristics and geographic range, surveys historical and ethnographic accounts of preparation, ceremonial use, and cultural significance, and discusses chemical analyses indicating a caffeine-like alkaloid. Comparative notes relate this American beverage to tea and maté, and the author compiles prior references, distributional records, and botanical taxonomy while suggesting the plant's possible economic value and encouraging further investigation into related species and their constituents.