“I’ve read that the Outer Banks natives used Yaupon as a tea, but I can’t find anything about it. What is it, where do you find it, and can you still make it?” ~Anonymous
We’re going to answer this in several parts stretched over a few posts with the help of local resident, Rebecca Rollinson.
Part 1: What is Yaupon?
Yaupon (ilex vomitoria) is a bushy, evergreen shrub that can be found all over the island of Hatteras. It grows along mainly along the South Eastern seaboard, including the Gulf of Mexico, central Florida, South Texas, parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas.
The word yaupon was derived from its Catawban name, yopún, which is a diminutive form of the word yop, meaning “tree”. When parts of the yaupon were utilized for tea, the English referred to it as “The Black Drink” and the Spanish called it “Cacina”. The Hatteras Islanders used the Native American name, “yaupon”.
