AQUIFOLIACEZ—HOLLY FAMILY 
HOLLY 
Tex opaca. 
Theophrastus and other Greek authors named the Holly 4gvia , 
that is, wild or of the fields ; and the Romans formed from this the 
word, Agrifolium » and called it also Agquifolium from acutum, 
sharp, and fo/vwm, a leaf. C. Bauhin and Loureiro first named it 
flex on account of the resemblance of its leaves to those of the 
Quercus Llex, the true Ilex of Virgil. Linnzeus adopted the name 
flex for the genus, and preserved the name of Agwifolium for the 
most anciently known species. The name Holly is probably a cor- 
ruption of the word holy, as Turner in his ‘‘ Herbal”? calls it 
Holy, and Holy Tree, probably from its being used to commem- 
orate the holy time of Christmas, not only in houses but in 
churches. The German name Christdorn, the Danish rame Christ- 
orn, and the Swedish name Christtorn, seem to justify this con- 
jecture. —Loupon. 
Opaca, opaque, refers to the color of the leaves of the American 
species, which is a duller green than that of the European. 
An evergreen tree, from thirty to fifty feet in height, found sparing: 
ly in New England and New York, where it is always small. Abun- 
dant on the southern coast and in the Gulf States, reaches its 
greatest size on the bottom lands of southern Arkansas and eastern 
Texas. The branches are short and slender and the head pyrami- 
dal. Roots thick and fleshy. Will grow in both dry and swampy 
soil, but grows slowly. Juices watery, and contain a bitter principle 
which possesses tonic properties. 
Light gray, roughened by exerescences. — Branchlets 
Bark. 
stout, green at first and covered with rusty down, later smooth and 
brown. 
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