4S6 



ILICACEAE. 



Vol. II. 



Family 76. ILICACEAE Lowe, Fl. 

 lIuLLY Family. 



Mad. 2:11. 1868. 



Shrubs or trees, with watery sap, and alternate petioled simple often coriaceous 

 leaves. Flowers axillary, small, clustered or solitary, white, mainly polygamo- 

 dioecious, regular. Stipules minute and deciduous, or none. Calyx 3-6 parted, 

 generally persistent. Petals 4-6 (rarely more), separate, or slightly united at 

 the base, hypogynous, deciduous, imbricated. Stamens hypogynous, as many as 

 the petals, or sometimes more; anthers oblong, cordate. Disk none. Ovary i, 

 superior, 3-several-celled ; stigma discoid or capitate ; style short or none ; ovules 

 I or 2 in each cavity of the ovary. Fruit a small berry-like drupe, enclosing 

 several nutlets. Seed pendulous ; endosperm fleshy ; embryo straight. 



Three genera and about 300 species, natives of temperate and tropical regions. 



Petals oblong or obovate, slightly united. 

 Petals linear, distinct. 



1. Ilex. 



2. Nemopanthtts. 



I. /. opaca. 



I. ILEX L. Sp. PI. 125. 1753. 



Shrubs or trees, with entire dentate or spiny-toothed, minutely stipulate leaves, and axil- 

 lary cymose or solitary, perfect or polygamous flowers. Calyx small, 4-S-cleft or toothed. 

 Petals 4-9, somewhat united at the base, oblong, obtuse. Stamens of the same number, adnate 

 to the base of the corolla. Berry-like drupe globose, with 4-8 bony or crustaceous nutlets. 

 [Ancient name of the Holly oak.] 



About 280 species, mostly American, some in Asia, Africa and Australia. Besides the following, 

 some 5 others occur innhe southeastern United States. Type species: Ilex Aquifolium L. 



Leaves thick, evergreen, persistent. 

 Nutlets ribbed. 



Leaves spiny-toothed. 



Leaves dentate or entire, not spiny. 



Leaves entire or few-toothed ; calyx-lobes acute. 

 Leaves coarsely crenate ; calyx-lobes obtuse. 

 Nutlets not ribbed ; leaves dotted beneath. 



Leaves oblanceolate. obtusish ; drupe 2"-;^" in diameter. 

 Leaves obovate, acute ; drupe z"-\" in diameter. 

 Leaves thin, deciduous. 



Nutlets ribbed ; peduncles i -flowered. 



Leaves small, obovate or spatulate, crenate. 

 Leaves large, ovate or lanceolate, sharply serrate. 

 Nutlets not ribbed. 



Flowers all short-pedicelled. 



Twigs brown ; leaves oval to oblong. 

 Twigs grey ; leaves obovate to nearly orbicular. 

 Staminate flowers on long and slender pedicels. 



/. Cass\ne. 

 I. voinitoria, 



I. glabra. 

 I. coriacea. 



I. decidua. 

 I. montana. 



8. /. verticillata. 



9. /. bronxensis. 

 10. /. laevigata. 



I. Ilex opaca Ait. American or 

 White Holly. Fig. 2786. 



Ilex opaca Ait. Hort. Kew. i: 169. 1789. 



A tree of slow growth, sometimes 50 

 high, and with a trunk diameter of 33. 

 Young twigs sparingly pubescent ; leaves 

 elliptical or obovate, 2-4' long, I'-iJ' 

 wide, evergreen, glabrous on both sides, 

 obtuse or acutish at the apex, spiny-tipped, 

 spinose-dentate, at least toward the apex, 

 rarely nearh- or quite entire ; petioles 2"-4" 

 long, sometimes puberulent ; peduncles 2- 

 bracted ; staminate cymes 3-10-flowered, 

 A'-i' long; fertile flowers mostly scattered 

 and solitary : calyx-lobes acute, ciliate ; 

 stigma sessile ; drupe globose or globose- 

 oblong, red, rarely yellow, 4"-5" in diam- 

 eter; nutlets ribbed. 



In moist woods, Massachusetts to Florida, 

 Pennsylvania, Indiana. Missouri and Texas. 

 Most abundant near tlie coast. Wood hard, 

 nearly white : weight per cubic foot 36 lbs. 

 Ascends to 3000 ft. in North Carolina. April- 

 June. 



