NOTES ON THE VARIETIES OF COMMON YEW. 207 



20. T. b. fastigiata variegata, the variegated Irish Yew, 

 is a sport from the Irish Yew, with occasional silver leaves. 

 The plant is of slow growth, and still scarce, but it is hardly 

 striking enough to become a general favourite. 



[In addition to the above I should now (1892) recom- 

 mend T. Dovastoni aurea ; T. japonica aurea ; T. gracilis 

 pendula, and T. f. foliis aureisl\ 



NOTES ON THE VAEIETIES OF ENGLISH 

 HOLLY (Ilex aquifolium). 



[From "Proceedings of the Royal Horticultural Society? 

 April 1863, vol. iit., p. no. 



THE ENGLISH HOLLY (Ilex Aquifolium) is a plant 

 well-known to every lover of nature. In Lindley's 

 "Vegetable Kingdom" it is placed between the genera 

 Cassine and Prinos, in the natural order of Aquifoliaceae, 

 or Hollyworts. 



It is not, however, my intention to enter the domain of 

 the botanist ; that were a work of supererogation, as the 

 characteristics of the genus and species are already clearly 

 set forth in various botanical publications. My business 

 is with the varieties of the English species only, which 

 have been raised from seed by the cultivator, or have 

 come to us by what are known in the horticultural world 

 as freaks or sports of nature. Here, as with the varieties 

 of English Yew, which I was privileged to bring under 

 your notice a short time since (see " Proceedings of the 

 Royal Horticultural Society/' vol. i., page 491). I hope 

 to render some service to horticulture by arranging and 

 describing, if not all, at least the most prominent members 

 of this charming family. I do not indeed pretend to in- 

 clude all the varieties, as the differences are in some cases 

 so slight that it seems undesirable to perpetuate them. 



The Holly is not geographically confined to Britain, 



