Holly, Yew and Box 



some, shapely pyramid, retaining at all seasons a 

 dense leafage. The bark of the young wood is 

 purple. The leaves are oblong or elliptic, 

 acuminate, of a dark, olive green and very glossy. 

 They are from 3^ to 5 inches long, and ij to 2 

 inches across, the margins e'ther smooth and 

 spineless throughout, or with an erratic spine or 

 two, or with the lower part entire and the upper 

 with some 4 or 5 well developed undulating 

 spines on each side, or rarely armed on both 

 margins throughout the entire length. It is a 

 female variety and bears larger and darker 

 coloured fruits than the type. 



I. A. crispa = marginata, contorta, tortuosa, 

 calamistrata, and " Screw-leaved Holly." A fine, 

 well marked Holly, with the bark of the young 

 shoots purple and the leaves blunt-ended and 

 spirally twisted, having, moreover, a certain degree 

 of rugosity or asperity on the upper surface, as 

 if it were trying to throw up the superficial 

 spines characteristic of the " Hedge-hog Holly." 

 The leaves are even more variable than in other 

 varieties and from one tree many different types 

 of leaf may be gathered ; some approach closely 

 to ferox, others to scotica, others to latispina, and 

 so on. In some cases the margin is entire, in 

 others rudimentary spines are produced, whilst 

 again, one or two erratic spines may be abnor- 

 mally developed. The chief peculiarities of the 

 variety are the deep, glossy green colour, the 



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