34 



The Florists^ Review 



PXCSMBBC 14, 1816. 



FAVORITES NOW AT CHRISTMAS. 



Held Sacred in Ancient Times. 



Everyone knows, of course, that holly 

 and mistletoe are regarded as the spe- 

 cial emblems of Christmas, the most ap- 

 propriate of all decorations for the oc- 

 casion, but why are they so regarded? 

 A recent issue of the Missouri Botanical 

 Garden Bulletin gives the best available 

 answer to that question and supplies 

 other interesting information about 

 these favorite decorative materials. 



Holly and mistletoe, says the bulletin, 

 are inseparably associated with the 

 Christmas season, not only on account 

 of their beauty and persistence during 

 the winter months, but because from 

 earliest times these two plants have, by 

 tradition, been linked with the life of 

 Christ. The most plausible origin for 

 the common name of holly is that it is 

 a corruption of holy, and the German 

 name of "Christ thorn" perpetuates the 

 legend that leaves of this tree were 

 used to form the "crown of thorns." 



Supposed Efficacy of Mistletoe. 



The mistletoe, among many other 

 woods, has frequently been referred to 

 as the one from which the cross was 

 made. Previous to the crucifixion — so 

 runs the legend — it was a splendid for- 

 est tree, its disgraceful use causing it to 

 assume its present humble parasitic 

 habit. 



Long before the Christian era, how- 

 ever, holly and mistletoe were singled 

 out as plants of special significance. The 

 Druids styled the mistletoe as "all 

 heal," as it was considered an antidote 

 for all disease, and even to the present 

 day in some localities the virtues of its 

 wood are highly regarded. In Sweden 

 a finger ring of mistletoe is supposed to 

 prevent sickness, and in France amulets 

 of this plant were much worn. Culpep- 

 per speaks of mistletoe as ' ' good for the 

 grief of the sinew, itch and toothache, 

 the biting of mad dogs and venomous 

 beasts," and Sir Thomas Brown alludes 

 to its efficacy in cases of epilepsy. 



Ancient Beliefs About Holly. 



At Roman weddings, holly wreaths 

 were sent as tokens of congratulation, 

 and remarkable stories concerning the 

 powers of this tree are recorded by 

 Pliny. In Holland's translation of 

 Pliny's "Historie of the World," pub- 

 lished in 1601, is found the following: 



"In touching the Holy or Hulver 

 Tree, if it be planted about an house, 

 whether it be within a city or standing 

 in the country, it serveth for a counter- 

 charm and keepeth away all ill spells or 

 inchantments and defends the house 

 from lightning. Pythagoras affirmeth 

 that the flower of this tree will cause 

 water to stand all upon an ice, also that 

 if a staff made thereof, if a man do 

 fling it at any beast what-so-ever, al- 

 though it chanceth to light short for 

 default of strength in his arms who 



flung i*, will not-with-standing, etch for- 

 ward and roll from the place where it 

 fell upon the earth and approach near 

 to the beast aforesaid; of so admirable 

 a nature is the Holy Tree." 



Varieties of Holly. 



To most people there are but two 

 kinds of holly, the European, Ilex 

 Aquifolium, and the American, Ilex 

 opaca. The botanist, however, recog- 

 nizes over 175 species, which range from 

 the north temperate to the south tem- 

 perate zone and are found on every con- 

 tinent. Of this number, about fifteen 

 occur in North America, although only 

 five of these would be classed as trees, 

 and but three of the latter are ever- 

 green. Indeed, a considerable group of 

 the hollies shed their leaves in the win- 

 ter, just like other deciduous trees; but 

 that the evergreen habit was considered 

 a fixed characteristic of this plant is 

 well attested by the quaint old English 

 proverb of the confirmed prevaricator, 

 of whom it was said: "He lees never 

 but when the hoUen is green." 



Japan and China have thirty or forty 

 species, some of which are being intro- 

 duced into this country for ornamental 

 puposes. The home of the holly, so far 

 as number of species is concerned, may 

 be considered to be northern Brazil, 

 where about half the known forms oc- 

 cur wild. Europe ha& but a single spe- 

 cies, but this deficiency is made up by 

 there being over 150 different varieties 

 of Ilex Aquifolium — at least they are so 

 regarded by horticulturists, but there 

 seems to be some evidence that a part 

 of these forms may have originated 

 from the Canary Island species. Ilex 

 platyphylla, rather than the true Euro- 

 pean holly. 



Holly That Beaxs No Berries. 



That oiily some trees bear berries is 

 due to the fact that in the holly the 

 sexes are distinct; the female, or pistil- 

 late flowers, which produce the fruit, oc- 

 cur on one tree, while the pollen-bearing 

 flowers are on a separate tree. Care 

 should be taken, therefore, in planting 

 hollies desired for the berries, to secure 

 only female trees. While it is believed 

 that the first printed notice of this dif- 

 ference in sex was communicated by 

 Martyn in the British Eoyal Society 

 Transactions, about the middle of the 

 eighteenth century, it must have been 

 known to the country people long before 

 this, since the term ' ' he and she 

 hollies" is quite old. • 



Although the usual color of the ber- 

 ries is red, it is not uncommon to have 

 varieties in this country and elsewhere 

 that produce pale yellow fruits, and 

 even white berries occur occasionally as 

 a sport. 



Economic Uses of Holly. 



Economically, aside from its use for 

 decoration, the holly is useful for fur- 

 nishing a wood, which, because of its 

 white color and even texture, is in great 

 demand for use in carving and scroll- 

 work. Formerly, when birdlime was in 

 general use, the inner bark of the holly 

 furnished the principal source of this 

 product, and the herbalists of a century 

 or two ago relied upon this plant for 

 the cure of many a complaint. Perhaps 

 one of the most novel remedies was its 

 application in the cure of chilblains, the 

 method being to whip the affected part 

 with freshly gathered holly leaves until 

 the blood flowed. Ilex Paraguensis, 

 widely distributed in South America, 

 furnishes the mate or Paraguay tea and 

 is in great demand by the natives of 

 the country in which it is found. The 

 beverage prepared from the leaves of 

 this holly has a considerable stimulating 

 effect, and the drink holds the place of 

 tea and coffee among the natives. 



Mistletoe, Native and Foreign. 



As in the case of the holly, so with 

 the mistletoe, there is a distinct Amer- 

 ican and European variety. From a 

 botanical standpoint, the difference be- 

 tween the two forms of mistletoe is 



C. C .Pollwortfa Finds Lycopodium Dear in the Wisconsin Woods. 



