Yerba mate or yerba-maté, from Spanish [ˈʝeɾβa ˈmate]; Portuguese: erva-mate, [ˈɛɾvɐ ˈmatɨ] or [ˈɛhvɐ ˈmatʃi]; Guarani: ka'a, IPA: [kaʔa], is a plant species of the holly genus Ilex native to South America. It was named by the French botanist Augustin Saint-Hilaire.