622 



The Hollies 



sharply toothed on the margin, usually 

 smooth, but sometimes shghtly hairy above, 

 more or less densely so and prominently 

 netted beneath; the leaf-stalk is 5 to 10 

 mm. long. The flowers, which open in 

 June or July, are mostly dioecious, their ca- 

 lyx-lobes ovate or triangular-ovate, fringed 

 and rather sharp-pointed; corolla whitish, 

 6 to 7 mm. across, the petals blunt. The 

 fruit is in clusters, so arranged as to ap- 

 pear verticillate ; it is globose, 6 to 8 mm. 

 in diameter, bright red, or rarely yellowish; 

 the nutlets are smooth. 



The bark and sometimes the leaves are 

 occasionally used in medicine as a tonic 

 iG. 570. ac er. ^^^ alterative. The Black alder, on ac- 



count of its brilliant fruit, is destined to become very useful in the ornamentation 

 of large grounds where a variety of shrubbery is desired. 



2. WINTERBERRY Ilex laevigata (Pursh) A. Gray 

 Prinos IcBvigata Pursh 



This shrub of swampy grounds and wet woods from Maine to Pennsylvania, 

 Georgia, and Kentucky sometimes becomes a tree 6 meters tall. It is also called 

 the Smooth winterberry and Hoop wood. 



The twigs are smooth and usually dark gray. 

 The leaves are deciduous, rather thin, elHptic, 

 oval or lanceolate, 4 to 8 cm. long, sharply or 

 often taper-pointed, shallowly toothed and 

 tapering to the short slender petiole, smooth 

 on either surface or rarely slightly hairy on the 

 venation beneath. The flowers open in May 

 or June. The staminate flowers are clustered 

 on stalks i to 2 cm. long. The pistillate flowers 

 are solitary on short stalks, their sepals triangu- 

 lar or ovate-triangular, often finely fringed on 

 the margin and sharp-pointed ; corolla white or 

 nearly so, 6 to 7 mm. across, the petals blunt. 

 The fruit is orange-colored or red, subglobose, 

 8 to ID mm. in diameter; its nutlets are smooth. 



Like the foregoing, this is also \ery desirable for the ornamentation of large 

 grounds in securing winter fruit effects; both grow well, however, only in moist soil. 



Fig. 571. Winterberry. 



