How Do I Tell The Sex Of My Yaupon Holly Bush?

Q: We have several five-year-old yaupon holly bushes. They seem to be healthy but have never produced berries. I have read that there needs to be a male bush nearby, but how do I tell what sex I have? 

A: It is true that yaupon holly, like all hollies, has both male and female forms. Both produce tiny white flowers in spring but they are small so you might never have noticed them. Female flowers will have a green (or red) swollen cone in the center of each flower. Male flowers lack the cone but they have several distinct short stamens with yellow pollen-bearing pads on the ends. I have all of the ins-and-outs of holly pollination at http://www.walterreeves.com/landscaping/holly-pollination/.

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