ILEX 



Ilex, Linnaeus, Sp. PL 125 (1753); Bentham et Hooker, Gen. PL i. 356 (1862); Loesener, in 

 Nova Ada Ac. Leop. CaroL Ixxviii. 8 (1901); Schneider, in Gartenflora, Hi. 452 (1903), and 

 Laubholzkunde, ii. 157 (1907). 



Prinos, Linnaeus, Gen. PL 153 (1754). 



Aquifolium, Haller, Enum. Stirp. Helv. i. 296 (1758). 



Trees or shrubs belonging to the order Aquifoliaceae, mostly evergreen, rarely 

 deciduous. Leaves alternate, simple, usually short-stalked ; margin entire, crenate, 

 serrulate, or with spiny teeth ; stipules minute, deltoid, often deciduous. 



Flowers axillary, solitary or cymose, normally dioecious, regular, usually tetra- 

 merous, rarely pentamerous or hexamerous ; calyx gamosepalous, hypogynous, with a 

 short tube and four to six lobes, imbricate in the bud ; corolla rotate, with four to six 

 petals, free or connate at the base ; disc absent. Male flowers, with four to six stamens, 

 alternate with the petals and adhering to them at the base ; anthers introrse, with two 

 cells opening longitudinally ; ovary rudimentary, either without cells or with empty 

 cells containing no ovules, stigma absent. Female flowers, with four to six stamin- 

 odes, like the stamens, but sterile and small ; ovary free, superior, with usually two 

 to four (rarely nine to twenty-two) cells, each usually containing one pendulous 

 ovule ; stigma sessile, with as many lobes as there are cells in the ovary. Fruit 

 drupaceous, with the calyx and stigma persistent ; epicarp fleshy, containing two to 

 four (or more) one-seeded nutlets. Seed pendulous, with a minute embryo at the 

 apex of the copious albumen. 



The genus comprises about 270 species, which are distributed throughout 

 the greater part of the tropical and temperate regions of the world. About 

 twenty-five exotic species are cultivated in Britain, either shrubs or small trees, not 

 coming within the scope of our work ; but of these the following four species will be 

 briefly described on account of their relationship to the common holly. 



I. Ilex Perado, Alton, Hort. Kew. i. 169 (1789); Loudon, Arb. et Frut. Brit. 

 ii. 519(1838). 



Ilex maderiensis, Lamarck, Encyc. iii. 146 (1789). 



A small tree, attaining 30 ft. in height. Young branchlets glabrous. Leaves 

 obovate-oblong, yellowish green, 2\ to 3 in. long, 4 to 2 in. broad, flat on the 

 surface, thick and coriaceous ; apex rounded or minutely cuspidate, and tipped with 

 a slender spine ; base rounded or cuneate, decurrent on the glabrous petiole, which 

 has two longitudinal depressions on the lower side ; margin not undulate, entire or 

 with a few minute serrations, mostly towards the apex, each tipped with a slender 



1702 



