CHAP. XXXIV. AQUIFOLIACEZ. MYGI'NDA, I‘LEX. 505 
likely by abortion) 1 cell and 1 seed. Shrubs with branchlets square ; 
leaves opposite, subcoriaceous, and flowers upon trifidly or trichotomously 
branched peduncles. (Dec. Prod. and Don’s Mill.) 
I‘tEx L. Sexes hermaphrodite, very rarely, by defect, dicecious or polyga- 
mous. Calyx 4—5-toothed. Corolla 4—5-cleft. Stamens 4—5, inserted 
into the tube of the corolla. Fruit including 4 or 5 nuts. Evergreen shrubs, 
with, mostly, coriaceous leaves. Flowers many ona peduncle. (Dec. Prod. 
and Don’s Mill.) 
Pri‘nos L. Sexes mostly, by defect, dicecious or polygamous. Calyx 6-cleft. 
Corolla 6-cleft. Stamens 6, inserted into the tube of the corolla. Fruit 
including 6 nuts. Shrubs, with leaves deciduous or persistent, and flow- 
ers 1 upon a peduncle. (Dec. Prod. and Don’s Mill.) 
Genus I. 
ry 
MYGI’NDA Jacq. Tur Myetnva. Lin. Syst. Tetrandria Monogynia. 
Identification. Jacq. Amer., p. 24.; Dec. Prod., 2, p. 12.; Don’s Mill., 2. p. 15. 
Synonyme. I \ex Pursh. 
Derivation. So named by Jacquin in honour of Francis von Mygind, a German botanist. 
# 1. M. wyrtiro‘t1a Nutt. The Myrtle-leaved Myginda. 
Identification. Nutt. Gen., 1. p. 109.; Don’s Mill. 2. p. 15.; Dec. Prod., 2. p, 13. 
Synonyme. Ilex Myrsinites Pursh Fl. Sept. Amer., Hook. Fl, Bor. Amer.,1. p. 119, 120. 7 
Engravings. Hook. Fl. Bor. Amer., t. 41.3; and our jig. 175. 
Spec. Char., §c. Leaves oblong, blunt, serrated, smooth, 
with revolute edges. Peduncles very short, usually soli- 
tary, I-flowered. Style short, club-shaped. 4-lobed at the 
apex. (Don’s Mill., ii. p.15.) An evergreen shrub, a 
native of the western coast of North America, on sub- 
alpine hills, where it grows to the height of 4 ft. Intro- 
duced in 1818. The flowers are small and white, and 
they appear from May to August. The drupe, when 
mature, is about the size of a pea: it is of a dark purple 
colour, and contains only 1 elliptical seed. Small plants 
of this species are in the arboretum of Messrs. Loddiges, 
where it is increased by cuttings. 
Genus II. 
allel 
I‘LEX L, Tue Hoty. Lin. Syst. Tetrandria Tetragynia. 
Identification. Lin. Gen., No. 172. ; Dec. Prod., 2. p. 13.; Don’s Mill, 2. p. 16. 
an go Aquifdlium Tourn. Inst., t. 371., Gert. Fruct., 2. t. 92.; Houx, Fr.; Stechpalme, or 
eilse, Ger. 
Derivation. Theophrastus, and other Greek authors, named the holly Agria; that is, wild, or of 
the fielkls; and the Romans formed from this the word Agrifolium; and called it, also, Aqui- 
folium, from acutwm, sharp, and folium, aleaf. C. Bauhin and Loureiro first named it I‘lex, on 
account of the resemblance of its leaves to those of the Quércus J'lex, the true Ilex of Virgil. 
Linnzus adopted the name of J‘lex for the genus, and preserved the name of Aquifdlium for the 
most anciently known species. The name of holly is, probably, a corruption of the word holy, 
as Turner in his Herbal calls it Holy, and Holy Tree, probably from its being used to comme- 
morate the holy time of Christmas, not only in houses, but in churches. The German name 
Christdorn, the Danish name Christorn, and the Swedish name Christtorn, seem to justify this 
conjecture. 
2 1. J. Aquiro‘tium LZ. The prickly-leaved, or common, Holly. 
Identification. Lin. Sp., 181. ; Fl. Dan., 508.; Dec. Prod., 2. p. 14.; Don’s Mill, 2. p. 16. 
Synonymes. The holly, being a native of most parts of Europe, and being every where much ad- 
mired, has several names in most living European languages, We shall give the chief of these 
from Nieuman’s Dictionary. 
English. Wulver, Hulfere, and Holme. 


