Kola Nut, Yerba Maté & Mimosa hostilis

Kola nut, yerba maté and Mimosa hostilis at Mycotrop

This page brings together three products that are botanically unrelated: the seed of a West African tree, the leaves of a South American holly and the root bark of a spiny shrub from tropical America. All three are packed by Herborist in kraft pouches with a printed label that names the plant in English and Latin. What they share is the supplier and the pouch, not the botany, as the table shows.

The three products

Kola nut

The powder is ground from the seeds of Cola nitida (Vent.) Schott & Endl.; this West African tree belongs to Malvaceae, the mallow family. According to the World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), compiled at Kew, it is native to western and west-central tropical Africa, from Senegal and Guinea to Cameroon and the Congo. The Herborist label marks the product as powder, and the photo shows a reddish-brown powder.

Yerba maté

Yerba maté is Ilex paraguariensis A.St.-Hil., a member of the holly family, Aquifoliaceae, described in 1822. WCVP records it as native to north-eastern Argentina, eastern, southern and central Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. The supplier lists the product as finely cut leaf with Brazil as the country, and the photo shows flat olive-green leaf fragments with paler stem pieces.

Mimosa hostilis root bark

Mimosa hostilis is the name used in the trade; the accepted botanical name is Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd.) Poir., in the legume family, Fabaceae. Published in 1810, it takes priority over Mimosa hostilis Benth. of 1875. Its Brazilian vernacular name is jurema preta. It is a spiny shrub or small tree native from Mexico through Central America to Colombia, Venezuela and eastern Brazil. The product is root bark in 50 g or 250 g; the plant has its own Mimosa hostilis category.

Packaging and delivery

All products are sold strictly as collectible or souvenir items. An order is put together on a business day and leaves in plain outer packaging with no description of the contents; tracked shipments get their link by email after dispatch. Kola nut and yerba maté are also listed, with other dried plants, in Smart Seeds & Herbs. Returns and the withdrawal period are covered on the Delivery, Tracking & Returns page.

Frequently asked questions

Why are these three plants on one page?

They are grouped as a small selection of the Herborist range. Botanically they have little in common: three families, two continents and three different plant parts.

Why does the table give two names for the root bark?

The product is sold under the trade name Mimosa hostilis. GBIF and WCVP list Mimosa hostilis Benth. as a synonym of Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd.) Poir., so the table puts the accepted name first and the trade name after it as a synonym.

Which sizes are available?

Kola nut powder and yerba maté come in 50 g, 250 g and 1 kg. The Mimosa hostilis root bark comes in 50 g and 250 g.

Where do the products come from?

The supplier listing gives Brazil for the yerba maté. For the kola nut powder and the root bark, Mycotrop has no confirmed country of origin, so none is stated.