Ilex theezans, also I. theæzans and I. theazans, is a species of the genus Ilex in the family Aquifoliaceae, native to Brazil and typically found in its Atlantic Forest.[1] [2] It is sometimes used as an adulterant of maté and sometimes confused with the yerba maté (I. paraguarensis). In Brazil, it is sometimes called orelha-de-mico; but is more often simply known as congonha ("holly") or caúna (along with I. dumosa.
The species includes the subspecies I. theezans hieronymiana; the varieties I. theezans var. acrodonta, augusti, fertilis, gracilior, grandifolia, leptopylla, pachypylla, typica, and warmingiana; and the forms I. theezans f. glabra and puberula.