OLEACEJE. OLIVE TRIBE. 407 



1. ILEX (Holly). 



1. /. Aquifolium (Holly). The only British species, 

 for a full account of which see Forest Trees of Britain, 

 vol. ii. The name Aquifolium means needle-leaved. 

 Holly is a corruption of the word "holy," from the use 

 to which its boughs are applied in ornamenting churches 

 at Christmas. The berries, it should be borne in mind, 

 are POISONOUS. Fl. May, June. Tree. 



ORD. LIU. OLEACE^E. THE OLIVE TRIBE. 



Calyx divided, not falling off; corolla of 1 petal, 

 4 8-cleft, sometimes wanting ; stamens 2, alternate with 

 the lobes of the corolla ; ovary 2-celled ; cells 2-seeded ; 

 style 1 ; fruit a berry, drupe, or capsule, of 2 cells, each 

 cell often perfecting only a single seed. Trees, or 

 shrubs, the branches of which often end in conspicuous 

 buds ; the leaves are opposite, either simple or pinnate : 

 the flowers grow in clusters, or panicles. The plants of 

 this Order inhabit the temperate regions of many parts 

 of the world. By far the most important among them 

 is the plant from which the Order takes its name, Olea, 

 the Olive, among the earliest of plants cultivated by 

 man. The bark of the olive is bitter and astringent, the 

 wood remarkably close grained and durable. The fruit 

 is a drupe, or hard bony seed, enclosed in a fleshy,, 

 closely-fitting case. From this outer coat, and not from 

 the seed itself, oil is obtained by pressure. Several 

 kinds of ash (Frdxinus and Ornus) produce manna, and 

 are valued for the strength and elasticity of their timber. 

 (For a more detailed account of the Ash, see Forest 

 Trees of Britain.) 



1. LIGUSTRUM (Privet). Corolla funnel-shaped, 4- 

 cleffc ; calyx with 4 small teeth ; fruit a 2-celled berry. 

 (Name from the Latin name of the plant, and that from 

 ligoj to bind, from the use made of its- twigs.) 



