Holly family
Description
A family of shrubs and trees, cosmopolitan in distribution but centred on the tropics (Aquifoliaceae 1). The evergreen alternate leaves are simple, leathery and sometimes spiny. The flowers are inconspicuous, greenish, usually dioecious, regular, borne in small cymes, the male ones with 4 stamens, the female ones with a superior ovary. The fruit is a small drupe with 3 or more stones. There are 4 genera.
Use
The leaves of the Genus Ilex are used to make a tea-like drink which is popular in many South American countries.
Described species
Ilex paraguariensis, yerba maté