Ilex Species, Yerba Mate, Paraguay Tea, Paraguayan Tea

My wife is from Buenos Aires and loves drinking mate. So we just had to get the tree. It is about 3 years old now and has been kept in ...Read Morea pot. Just transplanted it today and it is about 5' tall and has white flowers all over it.

We have two of these growing in the Herb Garden at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens. One has been there for a number of years and is about 12 ...Read Morefeet tall but spindly such that it fits into a small bed with other low-growing plants around it. We are somewhere between zones 8b and 9a and this tree had no problem with one night of 18 degreesF last Winter. The soil has a pH of 7.2 and the site is in full sun. The other specimen was just planted this year in a somewhat poorly-draining, semi-shady area so results are inconclusive at this time.

I decided to grow yerba mate as a houseplant because I adore it as a tea. I knew I wouldn't use my plant for tea, but I like to grow pla...Read Morents that have some significance for me.

It is VERY easy to grow indoors. Even in sparse winter light, with regular watering it grows fast. Very appreciative of the bits of seaweed fertilizer I give it occasionally. It's also resistant to spider mites (!!)

Many kinds of tea are made from this plant, depending on how the herb is prepared. In the southern Brazilian states they drink a strong o...Read Morene called "chimarrão". Maté is also highly appreciated. Some studies, however, have been noticing a high incidence of mouth and throat cancer associated with the drinks made out of Ilex paraguariensis.