Holly, Yew and Box 



trunk 30 to 40 feet high with a large girth, one 

 being recorded near Naini-Tal with a circum- 

 ference of 1 6 or 17 feet. The branches are said 

 to form a dense oval crown. The leaves vary 

 considerably in size and spininess, the average 

 being about 4^ inches in length and i inch in 

 width. They are evergreen, dull in appearance, 

 and edged with spiny teeth which vary con- 

 siderably in length, sometimes being quite tiny 

 and at others long and sharp. As the trees 

 age spines often disappear as in the " Common 

 Holly." The fruits are borne on stout foot stalks 

 J of an inch long, are large, red and oval, and 

 often contain but two seeds, though this is not 

 a definite character as quite frequently more are 

 produced. The young wood is distinct in 

 character, being rather prominently too angled 

 and twisted. The axillary buds are very 

 different in appearance from those of other hardy 

 Hollies, being very prominent and rounded, those 

 of most of the better known Hollies being 

 acuminate. The flowering period is two or three 

 weeks in advance of that of the " Common 

 Holly." Good examples are to be found at 

 Leonardslee, Osborne, Kew and Abbotsbury. 



I d. elliptica = I. A. elliptica and I. A. flammea 

 angustifolia. Though usually included as a variety 

 of I. Aquifolium, this is undoubtedly a form of I. 

 dipyrena, wood, buds, leaves and fruit agreeing in 

 every particular, whilst the flowering period is in 



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