Botanical illustration of Yerba Mate
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🌱 Yerba Mate

Ilex paraguariensis
tea_and_beverage evergreen tree/shrub
☀️ Sun
partial shade (understory)
💧 Water
high
🗺️ Zones
[9,10,11]
🧪 Soil pH
5.5-7.0
🪴 Soil Type
well-drained, rich, red clay
📏 Spacing
6-10 ft
📐 Height
15-50 ft (pruned to 6-10 ft for harvest)
⏱️ Maturity
3-4 years to first harvest

🤝 Companions (3)

🤝 Banana
Shade for young mate plants
🤝 Guava
Understory crop beneath guava trees in traditional plantations
🤝 Pigeon Pea
Nitrogen fixer in mate plantations

⚠️ Keep Apart (1)

⚠️ none — but needs acidic soil with consistent moisture

📝 Growing Notes

South America's answer to coffee. Traditionally drunk from a gourd (mate) through a metal straw (bombilla) — shared socially. Contains caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline — 'the big three' stimulants.

🛒 Buy Seeds & Plants

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Johnny's Selected Seeds Botanical Interests True Leaf Market Burpee Territorial Seed Company

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