🍵 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
Key:🤝 Grows well together❌ Keep apart☀️ Sun needs💧 Water🗺️ Hardiness zone
🤝 Companions (3)
Shade for young mate plants
Understory crop beneath guava trees in traditional plantations
Nitrogen fixer in mate plantations
⚠️ Keep Apart (0)
No known enemies listed.
📝 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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