Aquifoliaceae

Yerba mate

Ilex paraguariensis A.St.-Hil.

Family: Aquifoliaceae
Genus: Ilex

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Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) — FlowerPhoto: E. Goossen, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (53)

Arabic: بهشية براغوانية, البهشية الباراجوانية, شاي الجزويت
arz: بهشيه براغوانيه
Asturian: Mate
Azerbaijani: Paraqvay şümşəsi
Basque: Mate
Breton: Yerba mate
Bulgarian: Йерба мате
Catalan: Mate, Herba mate
Cebuano: Yerba mate, Hierba mate, Hierba maté, Yerba maté
Chinese: 巴拉圭冬青, 巴拉圭茶, 瑪黛茶, 马黛, 马黛茶
Croatian: Mate, Mate čaj, Maté-čaj
Czech: Cesmína paraguayská, Cesmína paraquayská
Danish: Paraguaykristtorn
Dutch: Matéplant, Mate, Mateplant, Yerba mate
English: Yerba mate, Mate, Yerba maté, Holly, Paraguay tea, Maté
Esperanto: Paragvaja ilekso, Matea herbo
Estonian: Paraguai iileks
Filipino: Yerbang mate, Hierba mate, Hierba maté, Mateng yerba, Yerba mate, Yerba maté
Finnish: Matee
French: Thé des Jésuites, Thé du Brésil, Thé du Paraguay, Yerba Maté, Yerba mate
frr: Mate
Galician: Herba mate
German: Mate-Strauch, Mate-Baum, Chimarrao, Chimarrão, Mate, Mate-Tee, Matetee, Maté
Guarani: Ka'a, Ka`a
Hebrew: צינית מאטה
Hungarian: Maté
Indonesian: Yerba mate
Irish: Yerba mate
Italian: Yerba mate
Japanese: イェルバ・マテ, マテチャノキ
Kazakh: Mate, Мате, ماتە
Korean: 마테나무
Latvian: Paragvajas ilekss
Lithuanian: Paragvajinis bugienis, Matės žolė
Malay: Yerba mate
Maltese: Yerba mate
Marathi: येर्बा माते
Norwegian Bokmål: Erva mate, Erva-mate, Yerba mate, Yerbamaté
Persian: ماته
Polish: Ostrokrzew paragwajski, Yerba mate
Portuguese: Erva-mate, Congonha, Mate, Erva mate
Quechua: Mati wayusa, Hierba mate, Yerba mate
Russian: Падуб парагвайский
Serbian: Мате
Serbian (Latin): Mate
Slovak: Cezmína paraguajská
Slovenian: Mate
Spanish: Yerba Mate, Yerba, Kaa, Kaá, Yerba de los jesuitas, Yerba del Paraguay, Ílex paraguayensis
Swedish: Mate, Yerba mate, Yerba maté
Thai: มาเต, ชาบราซิล
Turkish: Yerba mate
Ukrainian: Парагвайський падуб, Гостролист парагвайський, Йерба-мате, Падуб парагвайський
Welsh: Yerba mate

Synonyms

Ilex bonplandiana Münter
Ilex congonhas Liais
Ilex curitibensis Miers
Ilex domestica Reissek
Ilex domestica var. glabra Reissek
Ilex mate A.St.-Hil.
Ilex paraguariensis f. confusa Loes.
Ilex paraguariensis f. dasyprionata Loes.
Ilex paraguariensis f. domestica (Reissek) Loes.
Ilex paraguariensis f. latifolia (Reissek) Chodat
Ilex paraguariensis f. microphylla Reissek
Ilex paraguariensis f. parvifolia Chodat
Ilex paraguariensis f. sorbilis (Reissek) Loes.
Ilex paraguariensis var. acutifolia Mart.
Ilex paraguariensis var. angustifolia Reissek
Ilex paraguariensis var. euneura Loes.
Ilex paraguariensis var. guaranina Loes.
Ilex paraguariensis var. latifolia Reissek
Ilex paraguariensis var. ulei Loes.
Ilex paraguayensis Hook.
Ilex sorbitis Reissek
Ilex theaezans Bonpl. ex Miers

Characteristics

Growth habit: Shrub, Tree
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Hawaii: introduced

Photos

FlowerPhoto: E. Goossen, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Diego Carús, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Lucas Rodrigues, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Kahio Tiberio Mazon, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: James Steakley, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Paisaje Protegido Paso Centurión y Sierra de Ríos, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Dick Culbert from Gibsons, B.C., Canada, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Gastón Repetto, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Andrés González, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Jhonatan Matheus, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

More in Ilex

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.