Yerba mate (from Spanish [ˈɟʝeɾβa ˈmate]; Portuguese:erva-mate[ˈɛɾvɐ ˈmate] or [ˈɛɾvɐ ˈmatʃɪ]) 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.