WINTERBERRY 



Ilex vertkillata (Linnaeus) Gray- 

 In spring, when all nature is awakening, we easily overlook this 

 inconspicuous shrub, from four to six feet tall, with tender leaves 

 and tiny flowers, growing in damp acid ground among the other deni- 

 zens of neglected places. But when autumn passes and the stems are 

 stripped of their leaves, the fine red berries come into their own, and 

 lend a delightful touch of color to the winter landscape. The whole 

 top of the bush is covered with berries, and it then vies with its cousin, 

 the holly, in beauty and interest, and in radiating Christmas cheer 

 and good will. 



The berries stay on the branches till late winter, and are rarely eaten 

 by birds. A form with yellow fruit has been found in New England. 



Another member of the genus Ilex is the well-known shrub, mate, 

 whose leaves are largely used in South America for making a beverage 

 similar to Chinese tea. From yaupon, an Ilex of our Southern States, 

 the Indians make a stimulating drink, and it is now being placed on 

 the market, under the name Cassina, as a substitute for tea. 



Winterberry ranges from Missouri to Florida, and northward to 

 Wisconsin and Nova Scotia. 



The specimen sketched was collected near Washington, District 

 of Columbia. 



PLATE 54 



