Yerba mate (from Spanish [ˈʝerβa ˈmate]; Portuguese: erva-mate [ˈɛʁvɐ ˈmatʃi]) is a species of the holly family (Aquifoliaceae), with the botanical name Ilex paraguariensis A. St.-Hil. named by the French botanist Auguste François César Prouvençal de Saint-Hilaire.
It is well known as the source of the beverage called mate (Portuguese: chimarrão, tererê/tereré and other variations), traditionally consumed in central and southern South America, particularly Argentina, Bolivia, Southern and Center-Western Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Southern Chile. It is also very popular in Syria where it ...