Description
Description: Yerba mate, Ilex paraguariensis, begins as a shrub and then matures to a tree and can grow up to 15 metres (49 ft) tall. The leaves are evergreen, 7–110 millimetres (0.3–4.3 in) long and 30–55 millimetres (1.2–2.2 in) wide, with a serrated margin.
The leaves are often called yerba (Spanish) or erva (Portuguese), both of which mean "herb". The flowers are small, greenish-white, with four petals. The fruit is a red drupe 4–6 millimetres (0.16–0.24 in) in diameter.
Botanical Name:
Ilex paraguariensis
Common Names: Yerba
maté, maté, erva mate, congonha, erveira, Paraguay cayi, Paraguay tea
Medicinal Part: Root