Hello everyone, A friend gave me a cutting in the hopes that I could get it identified here. I've attached three photos of the cutting, showing a close up of a leaf, a closeup of a berry and the third shows the configuration of the branches, berries and leaves. The leaf is 3/4" long, 3/8" wide. Thank you for any help you can provide. She thinks it's perhaps a type of Holly.
It looks like it may be Ilex verticillata, a deciduous form of holly. Common name American winterberry. http://images.google.com/images?q=I...1I7SUNA_en-GB&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilex_verticillata http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/ilve.htm
Thank you, Silver surfer and saltcedar. I'll have to ask her if the bush is evergreen or not. This is such a great group of people!
With respect to your name and posted location, I'd suggest this is yaupon holly or more specifically Ilex vomitoria. Tons of it around St Augustine. I lived there. The latin name means what you think it sounds like, but it's a lovely small tree, and sometimes a too common pruned shrub. Go to any bank and you'll probably see some grown as green hedges. The unfortunate name is referencing the use of Ilex vomitoria in the Black Drink as an emetic. Heavily brewed in tea, the tannins in the leaves will make you hurl.