172 ILEX PARAGUABIENSIS. 



sively usctl tlioro for tea. Tlioir leaves arc much longer and narrower than 

 those of th(^ trees of Parairnay and tlip Organ Mountains, and their under surfaces 

 are nivariably dotted with minute black inlands. 



GeorrTapfnj and History. The Ilex paraguariensis is found growing spontane- 

 ously, intermingled willi other trees, in the forests which cover the l)anlvs of the 

 rivers and stn\uns that fall into the Parana and Uruguay, as well as the sources 

 of the Ipane and jejui. Its j)rincii)al harvest is made in the eastern i)art of l*ara- 

 giiay, and about the mountains of Maracaja, as well as in the marshy valleys 

 which intervene between the hills. It also grows abundantly in Brazil, near 

 Curutiba, and about the Organ Mountains, in the country adjacent to Kio Ja- 

 neiro. 



In the beginning of the XVIIth century, an infusion of this plant was a gene- 

 ral beverage of the inhabitants throughout the provinces of Paraguay, and there 

 can be no doubt but the aborigines of that country taught its use to their Span- 

 ish conquerors ; for, among the Creoles and mestizoes of the present day, there are 

 many who charge the Paraguayanos with having exterminated their Indian 

 slaves by hard labour, in gathering the leaves of this tree. In no country in the 

 world is the Chinese tea more extensively drank, in proportion to the population, 

 than is the yei'ba mate,., throughout a great portion of South America. Large plan- 

 tations of it are owned by the Jesuits of Paraguay, who derive a large revenue 

 from its harvest, the annual product being estimated at five million six hundred 

 thousand pounds, more than thirty thousand of which are carried to Chili, Ecua- 

 dor, whence Lima and Quito are supplied, and the remainder is consumed in 

 the Argentine and Cisplatine republics. 



This species was introduced into Britain in 1828, and plants are growing in 

 the botanic garden at Glasgow, and in the garden of the Horticultural Society of 

 London. 



Properties mid Uses. The people of South America attribute innumerable 

 virtues to this tree ; but most of the qualities ascribed to it are doubtful. It is 

 certainly aperient and diuretic, and like opium, produces some singular and con- 

 trary effects. It is said to give sleep to the restless, and spirit to the torpid ; and 

 like that drug, when a habit is once contracted of using it, it is difficult to leave 

 it off; its effect on the constitution being similar to that produced by an immod- 

 erate use of spirituous liquors. There are three kinds of the herb in the prepared 

 state, though produced by one plant, and are called by the Indians, caa-cvys, 

 caa-mini, and caa-guazu ; the prefix caa, signifying the tree or leaf itself. The 

 former consists of the half-expanded buds, which will not keep long, and is 

 entirely consumed in Paraguay. The caa-niitti, is the leaf as prepared by the 

 Jesuits, carefully picked and stripped from the nerves before roasting ; while the 

 third is made by roasting without any preparation, and is denominated by the 

 Spaniards, yei^ba de polos. The amount daily gathered by a labourer is usually 

 from one hundred to three hundred pounds. In preparing the leaves for market, 

 a bundle of long poles is constructed, in the form of a cylindrical vault, under 

 which a large fire is made, and upon which the branches are placed, and remain 

 there till the leaves are sufficiently dry. After this, the fire is removed; and on 

 the hard and hot platform, after being swept clean, they throw the branches, 

 which they give a thorough beating. In this manner the leaves are separated 

 from the boughs, which, after being sufficiently manipulated, are next densely 

 packed into large bags made of hides ; and in this state, without further prepa- 

 ration, they are fit for use; but they are not considered as seasoned till they are 

 a few months old, as the aromatic bitterness which they possess, when newly 

 prepared, is partially dissipated by age. The leaves are used by infusions, in 

 Paraguay, Uruguay, the Argentine republic. Chili, Peru, and Ecuador, by all 

 classes of persons, and at all hours of the day. The Creoles drink the infusion 



