i88 



COROLLIFLOR^ 



Ilbx Aquifolium (Holly) 



I Ilex {Holly) 

 I. /. aquifolium (Holly). — The 

 only British species. A shrub or 

 small tree, with glossy evergreen, 

 spinous leaves, the upper ones of 

 which have often only one spine, and 

 that at the extremity. The berries 

 are red or yellow. The name Aqui- 

 folium means needle-leaved. Holly is 

 probably a corruption of the word 

 " holy," from the use to which its 

 boughs are applied in ornamenting 

 churches at Christmas. The berries 

 are Poisonous. Many varieties are 

 grown in gardens, with variously 

 shaped and variegated leaves. — 

 Fl. May, June. Tree. 



Natural Okder L 

 OLEACEiE.— The Olive Tribe 



Calyx divided, not falling off ; corolla of I petal, 4 to 8-cleft, 

 sometimes wanting ; stamens 2, alternate with the lobes of the 

 corolla ; ovary 2-celled ; cells 2-seeded ; style i ; fruit a berry, 

 drupe, or capsule, of 2 cells, each cell often perfecting only a single 

 seed. Trees or shrubs, the branches of which often end in con- 

 spicuous buds ; the leaves are opposite, either simple or pinnate ; 

 the flowers grow in clusters, or panicles. The plants of this Order 

 inhabit the temperate regions of many parts of the world. By far 

 the most important among them is the plant from which the Order 

 takes its name, Olea, the Olive, among the earliest of plants culti- 

 vated by man. The bark of the Olive is bitter and astringent, the 

 wood remarkably close-grained and durable. The fruit is a drupe, 

 or hard bony seed, enclosed in a fleshy, closely-fitting case. From 

 this outer coat, and not from the seed itself, oil is obtained by pres- 

 sure. Several kinds of Ash {Fraximts and Ornus) produce manna, 

 and are valued for the strength and elasticity of their timber. 



1. LiGUSTRUM (Privet). — Corolla funnel-shaped, 4-cleft ; calyx 

 with 4 small teeth ; fruit a 2-celled berry. (Name from the Latin 

 name of the plant, and that from ligo, to bind, from the use made 

 of its twigs.) 



2. Fraxinus (Ash). — Calyx 4-cleft, or ; corolla o ; fruit a 

 winged 2-celled capsule, (Name, the Latin name of the tree, de- 

 noting the ease with which it may be split.) 



