210 NOTES ON THE VARIETIES OF ENGLISH HOLLY. 



variegation, the others reverted to the type. Some years 

 ago I met with a beautiful Holly with broad prickly 

 leaves in the Botanic Gardens of Edinburgh, which the 

 late Mr M'Nab informed me was raised from the Ilex 

 perado, hybridised with the English Holly. 



In a recent correspondence with Mr James M'Nab, 

 he obligingly furnished me with leaves of several seedlings 

 still growing there raised from the L perado, supposed to 

 be fertilised with the English Holly, a large flowering 

 plant of which was growing in the immediate vicinity. It 

 is interesting to note the variation of these seedlings. 

 Not one has the smooth entire leaves of the female parent 

 (/. perado), but all bear more or less resemblance to the 

 English Holly. One is scarcely distinguishable from the 

 latter ; another has almost ovate leaves ; a third, large 

 broad leaves 3 to 4 inches in diameter ; while the young 

 shoots of a fourth are of a purplish hue. Some of these 

 varieties are reported to be less hardy than the English 

 Holly, which unfortunately diminishes their value for cold 

 exposed situations. 



It is worthy of remark that the green varieties seem 

 in many cases to repeat themselves as to form in both a 

 gold and silver dress ; and I willingly indulge the hope 

 that at no distant period some at least of those splendid 

 acquisitions of modern times, as /. latifolia and /. tarajo, 

 may, by the skill of the hybridiser or cultivator, or by 

 some natural freak, be brought to assume distinctly varie- 

 gated forms. 



Loudon observes (Arb. et Fruit. Brit., p. 506) that the 

 collections of Hollies in the time of Miller appear from 

 his lists to have been more extensive, and to have been 

 attended to with much more care than they are at present. 

 There are fine specimens of the Gold Holly at the Grange, 

 Hoddesdon, the residence of the Rev. C. G. Chittenden, 

 growing on a gravelly soil, three of which are the variety 

 known as the "Old Gold," while the fourth is the "Golden 

 Queen." Previous to the winter of 1 860-61 these and two 



