Foreword 



A primary responsibility of scientific research at the National Arboretum 

 is to clarify the origins, descriptions, and often-confused nomenclature of 

 cultivated plants. The hollies (Ilex) comprise one of the more popular and 

 distinctive groups of woody plants cultivated in the United States. The 

 Arboretum has been actively involved in holly research since 1957. 



In cooperation with the Holly Society of America, Inc., Arboretum staff 

 members have worked assiduously since 1964 in assembling and compiling 

 an authoritative International Checklist of Cultivated Ilex. This part, 

 describing more than 1,000 named cultivars of our widely grown native 

 American holly (/. opaca) , represents the first installment of a complete 

 survey of the genus. 



