Fungi living inside plants, called fungal endophytes, can produce novel antibiotics and other interesting compounds for use by humans. This project explores the fungal endophytes of the Yaupon Holly plant, Ilex vomitoria, used as an alternative to tea. We ask, “Are there differences in the fungal endophytes found between male and female Yaupon Holly plants?” and “Are there differences in the fungal endophytes in young leaves of Yaupon Holly compared to the older, established leaves?” Leaves from 3 male and 3 female plants were sampled, including from young and older leaves. Six random leaflets were surface-sterilized and plated on growth media. Fungi that grew from the leaflet pieces were subcultured, and morphologies, such as color, growth pattern, and colony texture, were cataloged. Female leaves had twice as many unique fungi compared to male plants. There was little difference in the fungi found in young versus older leaves.
