Medicinal Monday - Inkberry

Inkberry is a member of the holly family and keeps its glossy deep green leaves and its' deep-purple to black berries can be seen well into the winter months. This low-growing shrub can be found in eastern North America including Connecticut. Native Americans treasured this evergreen plant. 

About Inkberry

The inkberry or illex glabra  is a mound-shaped shrub that can grow between six and twelve feet tall and wide. The toothed glossy leather-like leaves are lance-shaped and vary in color from dark to light green. Small almost inconspicuous white flowers bloom in the summer and are followed by black berries that persist into the winter months. What makes the inkberry different from all other evergreen hollies is that their leaves lack spines and only have teeth on the tips of the leaves. They spread by rhizomes which form colonies. This shrub prefers moist wet sandy to peaty soil and partial shade. It can be found in the woods and near swamps and bogs. In order to have berries, you must have both a make and female plant. The male must be of the same species as the females and they must bloom at the same time.

Medicinal Uses

Ilex glabra or inkberry is also known as Appalachian tea. Dried and roasted inkberry leaves were first used by Native Americans to brew a black tea-like drink. It is said that the leaves taste like orange pekoe tea except that this tea has no caffeine. The berries are not edible. The dry roasted leaves that are made into a tea is a substitute for yaupon tea. The tea was taken to clear out the system.

Did You Know...

All species of this plant may be somewhat toxic if ingested. Toxicity can vary by plant and season.

This shrub attracts many species of birds including bobwhite quail, wild turkey, and small mammals. The leaves are eaten by whitetail deer and rabbits. a

This plant is a larval host for Henry's Elfin larvae which appear from February to May and have just one flight. The adult Henry's Elfin butterflies feed on the flower nectar of this plant.

This plant has a high flammability rating.