n AQUIFOLIACE^ 281 



AQUIFOLIACEiE 



Ilex 



Parts of the flower in fours. Calyx sometimes with 5 

 teeth. Flowers often subdicecious ; with exposed honey. 



I. Aquifolium (Holly). — Generally dioecious. The 

 male flowers possess the rudiment of a pistil. The 

 female flowers are larger than the male. The honey is 

 but sparing. As in so many small trees, the dispersal 

 of the seed is due to the fruit being attractive to birds ; 

 and the ripeness is indicated by the colour. 



The leaves are spiny, glossy, and twisted. The teeth 

 are a protection against browsing quadrupeds. It is 

 interesting that the upper ones which are out of reach 

 tend to lose their spines, and old trees are often almost 

 entirely without them. As Southey well said, — 



Below, a circling fence, its leaves are seen 



Wrinkled and keen ; 

 No grazing cattle through their prickly round 



Can reach to wound ; 

 But as they grow where nothing is to fear, 

 Smooth and unarm'd the pointless leaves appear. 



Some evergreen oaks also when young have prickly 

 leaves. The leaves are also protected by a thick cuticle, 

 and their generally tough, leathery character enables them 

 to withstand conditions of dryness and cold which would 

 be fatal if they were less well-protected. The glossiness 

 is perhaps an advantage in throwing ofi" snow, which 

 might otherwise accumulate and break down the branches. 

 Other evergreens — the Common Laurel, Portugal Laurel, 

 Ivy, Pines, etc. — also have the leaves glossy. The twisted 

 character of the leaves has the effect of presenting spines 

 in every direction. We find a similar character in the 

 leaves of many thistles. I have sometimes thought also 

 that the absence of flat surfaces is another protection 

 against snow. The stipules are black, and reduced to 

 minute points. They are now perhaps functionless, the 

 rudiments of once larger organs. 



