General Description 



plicity of names occur, and whilst the number 

 of distinct species recorded in the Index Kewensis 

 is 167, the synonyms total 138. 



The distribution of the genus is very wide, 

 species being found in Europe, the West Indies, 

 Malaya, Australia, Polynesia, Himalaya, China, 

 Japan, Formosa, N. America, Eastern tropical 

 S. America, N. Africa, and other places. The 

 headquarters of the genus is S. America, and 

 in Brazil alone sixty distinct species have been 

 found. China, Japan and Hong Kong together 

 claim forty described species, whilst it is more 

 than probable that others will be discovered in 

 these regions in the near future, introductions of 

 recent years having added several to the list. 



The great variation existing between the 

 varieties of some species has already been noted, 

 and this variation is most pronounced in the 

 "Common Holly" (I. Aquifolium). An idea 

 of the variability of this tree can be gleaned 

 from the fact that upwards of 140 forms have 

 been named, quite 100 being distinct. Even on 

 the same tree different leaves often present 

 totally distinct aspects, whole branches some- 

 times being affected, whilst at other times isolated, 

 malformed leaves only occur amongst perfect 

 ones. Amongst a batch of seedlings it is no 

 uncommon thing to find great variation in size, 

 form and spinyness of leaf, as well as a differ- 

 ence in habit, whilst on a mature tree it is a 



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