THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 
YERBA MATE OR PARAGUAY TEA. 
HP HE plant from which yerba mate is produced is a 
species of holly. Ilex Paragiiayensis. Last year not 
less than 35,000 tons were exported from Brazil and Par- 
agxiay alone. The common name of the beverage is Par- 
aguay tea, although the use of the word tea is obviously in- 
The principal varieties of yerba are grown in Argen- 
tina, Paraguay and Brazil. The Paraguayan plant is the 
strongest, has the richest flavor, and commands the highest 
price. Next in quality is the Argentina yerba, grown only 
in the province of Las Misiones. It is steadily improving in 
quality, but the output is small and falls far short of sup- 
plying the demand. The yerba grown in Las Misiones is 
of three varieties : Yerba morada, with violet-tinted, dark- 
green, oval leaves, six to eight inches long and three to five 
inches broad, produces a very bitter and inferior quality; 
yerba blanca, conspicuous for its whitish dark-green leaf 
about half as large as that of the morada ; and yerba caa-mi 
or amarilla, with a leaf of slightly yellowish color, and one 
and a half to two and a half inches long. This supplies the 
best of the native yerbas, although it is surpassed in qual- 
ity by some varieties of the Paraguayan and Brazilian plan- 
tations. Brazilian mate, the cheapest of all, is produced in 
the greatest quantity, but is not so rich in flavor as any of 
the others. 
Yerba mate is a mild stimulant and is also highly 
nutritious. In some parts of South America it constitutes 
nearly the whole sustenance of field laborers, who often 
drink ten and twelve cups daily. It has none of the bad ef- 
fects of alcoholic liquors, and its use is therefore being 
strongly encouraged from the humanitarian and sanitary 
standpoint. It is also much more easily prepared for mar- 
