Holly, Yew and Box 



tree with very curious, thick, leathery, glossy 

 leaves of a yellowish green hue above and pale 

 beneath. In shape, the leaves are very peculiar, 

 reminding one somewhat of an oblong sail with 

 the sides bellying in with the wind, or a square- 

 bottomed kite. Each leaf has usually five spines, 

 which are strong and sharp. Two of these appear 

 at the base, and three at the apex arranged in a 

 horn-like manner, which has given rise to the 

 common name of " Horned- Holly." The margins 

 of the leaves are very thick in texture, revolute, 

 and sometimes produce here and there additional 

 tiny spines which have an inward tendency. 

 From a fruiting specimen in the Kew Herbarium, 

 collected by Fortune in 1846, it appears that the 

 upper leaves on mature trees vary in shape, 

 sometimes being spineless and sometimes bearing 

 but one or two spines. The flowers are white 

 and borne in axillary clusters in April. They are 

 succeeded by bright red fruits, each of which 

 terminates a slender stalk half an inch long. 

 The bark, when young, is of a bright, yellowish 

 green ; when older it is marked with brown. 

 Lindley and Paxton are responsible for the name. 

 A description of it has been published under the 

 name of I. furcata. 



I. crenata, Thunberg. The collector Maxi- 

 mowicz, who collected between 1860 and 

 1864, and who was one of the pioneers among 

 European explorers in Japan, is credited with 



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