Guess it's a plant native to North America that you can make into a tea. Only plant known in N.A. to naturally contain caffeine. When I first clicked on the article, I wondered if it was going to be about ephedra (Mormon Tea).

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/08/04/429071993/heres-the-buzz-on-americas-forgotten-native-tea-plant