674 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



1. ILEX L. Sp. PI. 125, 1753. 



Trees or shrubs; leaves alternate, usually serrate or crenate, thin or coria- 

 ceous, estipulate ; flowers cymose or solitary in the axils, perfect or polygamous, 

 small ; petals 4 to 9, somewhat united at base, obtuse ; stamens 4 to 9, adnate 

 to base of corolla ; fruit a berry-lilie drupe, containing 4 to 8 nutlets. 



Ilex aquifolmm L., of Europe, is the true holly, so frequently mentioned in 

 literature. The American holly is /. opaca Ait., a native of the eastern United 

 States, whose branches are extensively used for Christmas greens. Most 

 species of the genus have showy red fruit, and those with evergreen leaves have 

 very handsome foliage. The leaves of /. vomitoria Ait., of the southeastern 

 United States, contain caffeine. From them the Indians of the Gulf States pre- 

 pared their " black drink," which had purgative, vomitive, diuretic, and some- 

 what stimulant properties, and was used for ceremonial purification. 



Leaves deciduous, thin 1. I condensata. 



Leaves persistent, thick. 

 Inflorescences or flowers fasciculate in the leaf axils ; leaves crenate or crenu- 

 late, the teeth never pointed. Flowers 4-parted. 



Leaves puberulent, 2.5 to 6 cm. long 2. I. discolor. 



Leaves glabrous. 



Leaves 5 to 12 cm. long 3. I. tolucana. 



Leaves 3 to 5 cm. long 4. I. Eocorroensis. 



Inflorescences solitary in the leaf axils, 1 to 3-flowered or cymose ; teeth of 

 the leaves usually with spinulose tips. 

 Flowers 5 to 7-parted. 

 Leaves hirsutulous beneath over nearly the whole surface, the venation 



prominent 5. I. brandegeana. 



Leaves glabrous beneath or puberulent along the costa, the lateral veins 



inconspicuous 6. I, pringlei. 



Flowers 4-parted. 



Pistillate inflorescence usually 3-flowered 7. I. mexicana. 



Pistillate flowers solitary. 



Leaves glabrous beneath 8. I. rubra. 



Leaves pubescent beneath on the veins 9. I. dugesii, 



1. Ilex condensata Turcz. Bull. Soc. Nat, Moscou 32^: 277. 1859. 



Ilex duMa condensata Loesener in Engl. & Prantl, Pflanzenfam. Nachtr. 1: 

 221. 1897. 



Veracruz. 



Shrub ; leaves obovate or oblanceolate, 3 to 6 cm. long, petiolate, acute, 

 serrulate, glabrous ; flowers fasciculate, usually 4-parted ; fruit globose, usually 

 with 4 nutlets, 7 to 8 mm. long. 



2. Ilex discolor Hemsl. Diag. PI. Mex. 5. 1878. 



Tepic to San Luis PotosI and Chiapas ; type from Comit5,n, Chiapas. 



Shrub or small tree with puberulent branchlets ; leaves short-petiolate, obo- 

 vate to elliptic-oblong, acute to rounded at apex, serrulate or crenate, puberu- 

 lent, especially beneath, or in age glabrate ; flowers greenish yellow ; pedicels 

 pubescent or glabrate. 



The identification of the single Tepic specimen is doubtful. 



3. Ilex tolucana Hemsl. Diag. PI. Mex. 5. 1878. 



Ilex californica T. S. Brandeg. Gard. & For. 7: 414. 1894. 

 Ilex tolucana houryaeavi Loesener, Nov. Act. Acad. Caes. Leop. Carol. 78 : 302. 

 1901. 



