SUBSTITUTES FOR TEA. 



125 



principle of the true tea^ exists also in these species of holly. 

 Small parcels of it are frequently imported into England, 

 generally under the Brazilian name Mate, or Yerba^, and 

 Yerba de Palos. The Mate is of a yellowish- green colour, 

 strongly smelling of tea ; the leafy portion is much broken 

 up, being almost a coarse dust ] small pieces of the wood 

 are plentifully mixed with it, often in pieces an inch and a 

 half to two inches in length, and as thick as a quill. That 

 which reaches this country is not for commercial purposes, 

 but comes as presents. 



Several other plants afford substitutes for tea in different 

 countries ; thus — 



In North America, the leaves of a pretty little evergreen 

 bush, often seen in our shrubberies, called Prinos glabra 

 (Nat. Ord. ArinifoUacecB) is used in the Northern States. 

 It is sometimes called Apalachian Tea. 



In New Jersey, one of the United States, the leaves of 

 Ceanothus Americanus (Nat. Ord. B/iamnacece) are dried and 

 used under the name of New Jersey Tea. This tea-plant 

 is not an evergreen, like the preceding ones, but forms a 

 handsome bush, with elegant clusters of light-blue flowers. 



In China the poorer classes use the leaves of another plant 

 of the same Natural Order — Sageretia theezans. 



