CHAP. XXXIV. ^QU I FOLIA CE7E. WYG1 NDi, /\LEX. 



505 



likely by abortion) 1 cell and 1 seed. Shrubs with branchlets square ; 

 leaves opposite, subcoriaceous, and flowers upon trifidly or trichotomously 

 branched peduncles. (Dec. Prod, and Bon's Mill.) 



7 v lex L. Sexes hermaphrodite, very rarely, by defect, dioecious or polyga- 

 mous. Calyx 4- — 5-toothed. Corolla 4 — 5-cleft. Stamens 4 — 5, inserted 

 into the tube of the corolla. Fruit including 4 or 5 nuts. Evergreen shrubs, 

 with, mostly, coriaceous leaves. Flowers many on a peduncle. (Dec. Prod. 

 and Don's Mill.) 



Pri x nos L. Sexes mostly, by defect, dioecious or polygamous. Calyx 6-cleft. 

 Corolla 6-cleft. Stamens 6, inserted into the tube of the corolla. Fruit 

 including 6 nuts. Shrubs, with leaves deciduous or persistent, and flow- 

 ers 1 upon a peduncle. (Dec. Prod, and Don's Mill.) 



Genus I. 



f 





MYGI'NDJ Jacq. 



The Myginda. Lin. Si/st. Tetrandria Monogynia. 



p. 24. ; Dec. Prod., 2. p. 12. ; Don's Mill., 2. p. 15. 



Identification. Jacq. Amer. 



Synonyme. 7Mex Pursh. 



Derivation. So named by Jacquin in honour of Francis von Mygind, a German botanist. 



m 1. M. myrtifo v lia Nutt. The Myrtle-leaved Myginda. 



Identification. Nutt. Gen., 1. p. 109. ; Don's Mill., 2. n. 15. ; Dec. Prod., 2. p. 13. 

 Synonyme. JMex 71/yrsinites Pursh Fl. Sept. Amer., Hook. Fl. Bor. Amer., 1. p. 119, 120. 

 Engravings. Hook. Fl. Bor. Amer., t. 41. ; and out fig. 175. 



Spec. Char., fyc. Leaves oblong, blunt, serrated, smooth, 

 with revolute edges. Peduncles very short, usually soli- 

 tary, 1 -flowered. Style short, club-shaped. 4-lobed at the 

 apex. (Don's Mill., ii. p. 15.) An evergreen shrub, a 

 native of the western coast of North America, on sub- 

 alpine hills, where it grows to the height of 4 ft. _ Intro- 

 duced in 1818. The flowers are small and white, and 

 they appear from May to August. The drupe, when 

 mature, is about the size of a pea : it is of a dark purple 

 colour, and contains only 1 elliptical seed. Small plants 

 of this species are in the arboretum of Messrs. Loddiges, 

 where it is increased by cuttings. 



Genus II. 



7 V LEX L. The Holly. Lin. Syst. Tetrandria Tetragynia. 



Identification. Lin. Gen., No. 172. ; Dec. Prod., 2. p. 13. ; Don's Mill., 2. p. 16. 



Synonymes. ^quifblium Town. Inst., t. 371., Gcert. Fruct., 2. t. 92. ; Houx, Fr. ; Stechpalme, or 

 Heilse, Ger. 



Derivation. Theophrastus, and other Greek authors, named the holly Agria ; that is, wild, or of 

 the fields; and the Romans formed from this the word Agrifolium; and called it, also, Aqui- 

 folium, from acutum, sharp, and folium, a leaf. C. Bauhin and Loureiro first named it .Tlex, on 

 account of the resemblance of its leaves to those of the Quercus /lex, the true Ilex of Virgil. 

 Linnaeus adopted the name of 7 v lex for the genus, and preserved the name of ^4quifolium for the 

 most anciently known species. The name of holly is, probably, a corruption of the word holy, 

 as Turner in his Herbal calls it Holy, and Holy Tree, probably from its being used to comme- 

 morate the holy time of Christmas, not only in houses, but in churches. The German name 

 Christdorn, the Danish name Christorn, and the Swedish name Christtorn, seem to justify this 

 conjecture. 



1 1. /. Jquifo^lium L. The prickly-leaved, or common, Holly. 



Identification. Lin. Sp., 181. ; Fl. Dan., 508. ; Dec. Prod., 2. p. 14. ; Don's Mill., 2. p. 16. 



Synonymes. The holly, being a native of most parts of Europe, and being every where much ad- 

 mired, has several names in most living European languages. We shall give the chief of these 

 from Nieuman's Dictionary. 

 English. Hulver, Hulfere, and Holme. 



