Mate - tea bush

Seeds: 10  / Botanical name: Ilex paraguaensis

The shrub used for the traditional drink of South America

The evergreen yerba mate shrub belongs to the holly family. Its oval leaves have slightly serrated edges, and during its flowering season, it displays thick clusters of 30 to 40 white blossoms. The shrub produces thick, reddish-purple drupes. In order for the seedlings to break through the hard shell, the fruit must first pass through the digestive system of a bird in its natural habitat. This is the reason for the color of the ripe fruit, which is so conspicuous to birds. Yerba mate is one of the most well-known beverages in South America and was valued by the indigenous people even before colonization due to its caffeine content. Yerba mate tea is made by steeping finely chopped leaves that have been dried under smoke and is traditionally drunk from the stem end of a hollowed-out gourd (Spanish: mate).

Natural Habitat: The yerba mate shrub grows wild as undergrowth in the Araucaria forests of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. Its native habitat is the rainforest of the Paraná Basin, which extends into these countries.