ILEX 649 



characters are taken from plants raised from seed in the spring of 1908. In 

 wild specimens the leaves are larger ; the flowers are described as appearing 

 one to three together, and the fruit is f in. diameter. It appears to be quite 

 hardy, and grows vigorously. 



I. MONTICOLA, A. Gray. MOUNTAIN HOLLY. 



A deciduous shrub (sometimes a tree in a wild state), with smooth young 

 steins. Leaves ovate to oval, with a long, tapering, lanceolate point, and a 

 wedge-shaped base, sharply toothed ; 2 to 5 ins. long, f to 2^ ins. wide ; pale 

 green, smooth, or downy only on the midrib and veins ; stalk slender, to 

 f in. long. Flowers white, the males crowded at the end of short spur-like 

 branches, or in the leaf-axils of the previous year's growth, along with two cr 

 three leaves ; the females short-stalked, fewer, often solitary. Fruit globose, 

 bright orange red, f in. across, borne on stalks about J in. long. 



Native of the eastern United States from New York State southwards. 

 It is allied to I. decidua, having the fruits red, the seeds many-ribbed at the 

 back, and leaves often clustered on short spurs, but I. decidua has round- 

 toothed leaves usually widest above the middle, and blunt at the apex. 

 Introduced to Kew from N. Carolina in 1899, but possibly in cultivation 

 earlier. 



J. OPACA, Aiton. AMERICAN HOLLY. 



An evergreen tree, sometimes 40 to 50 ft. high in a wild state, with a 

 trunk 6 to 9 ft. in girth, resembling the common holly in habit ; young shoots 

 minutely downy. Leaves dull green above, yellow-green beneath, oval, 

 tapered more abruptly at the base than at the spine-tipped apex ; i| to 3^ ins. 

 long, half as wide ; the margins armed with broad, spine-tipped teeth, which 

 tend to disappear from the uppermost leaves of adult specimens ; stalk 

 grooved, j to ^ in. long, minutely downy. Male flowers in three- to nine- 

 flowered, slender-stalked cymes ; females usually solitary ; all small, dull 

 white ; calyx-lobes edged with minute hairs. Fruit red, round, J in. diameter, 

 on a stalk about as long. 



Native of the eastern and Central United States ; introduced in 1744. In 

 gardens this species is only likely to be confused with the Himalayan 

 I. dipyrcna, which has similarly opaque, evergreen foliage, but that species 

 has longer narrow leaves with shorter stalks, and much shorter-stalked, more 

 congested flower-clusters. The fruit also is larger. I. opaca sometimes bears 

 fruit very freely in this country, and is then ornamental, but it is never so 

 attractive as our common native species. The largest specimen I know is at 

 Kew, 25 ft. high, two-thirds as wide. 



Var. XANTHOCARPA, Rehder. Fruits yellow ; has been found wild in 

 Massachusetts. Introduced in 1901. 



I. PEDUNCULOSA, Miguel. 



An evergreen shrub, or a tree up to 20 or 30 ft. high ; young shoots smooth. 

 Leaves unarmed, ovate or oval, tapering or rounded at the base, slender 

 pointed, margins entire ; i^ to 3 ins. long, f to i^ ins. wide ; dark glossy green 

 and smooth ; stalk ^ to f "in. long. The chief peculiarity of this holly is the 

 length of the fruit-stalk, which is i to ii ins. long, so that the bright red fruits, 

 each j in. across, stand out conspicuously. 



Native of Japan : introduced by Sargent in 1893. It: is probably not now 

 in cultivation, although it ought to be hardy. 



Var. CONTINENTALIS, Loesener Introduced by Wilson to the Coombe 

 Wood nursery from Hupeh, China, in 1901 and 1907, this differs from the 



