THE HOLLIES. 



125 



lawn at Kew has been frequently figure;!. Growth is not very rapid, 

 but it is worth while waiting until the graceful branches sweep the 

 grass. 



Var. platyphylla. — A holly with large dark green leaves, of thick 

 texture and strong growth. The fruits are conspicuous for size and rich 

 red colouring. 



Var. recurva. — The chief characteristic of this holly is its twisted and 

 channelled leaves, and large spines. It is more curious than beautiful. 



Var. scotica. — A well-known holly of quick growth, and entirely without 

 spines to the deep-green leaves. The var. a urea has a golden margin to 

 the foliage. 



Var. Shepherd ii. — A large green-leaved, vigorous variety, the leaves 

 being elliptical or broadly ovate, and as much as 4 inches long by nearly 

 3 inches wide ; they are armed with strong spiny teeth. The bark is 

 purplish. A well-known and much-prized holly. 



Var. Wilsonii. — This is one of the finest of hollies, and I hope it will 

 be largely planted. It was raised in the Handsworth Nurseries, and has 

 very large, glossy leaves of a peculiarly beautiful shade of green. No 

 variety has larger fruits, which cluster thickly on the shoots. A specimen 

 in full berry is a cloud of scarlet against the sky. 



I. COENUTA. 



A holly from China, and discovered by Fortune near Shanghai. 

 It is one of the more tender species. Mr. Bean writes of it : " It is 

 apparently much dwarfer than our native holly. I have not seen it 

 more than 7 or 8 feet high, although specimens much larger than that 

 no doubt exist, in the gardens of the south-west especially. It is not 

 suitable for the colder parts of the kingdom, although at Kew I have not 

 seen it seriously injured by frost. In habit it is a compact rounded bush, 

 which, if left unpruned, is usually broader than it is high. Its leaves are 

 leathery in texture, of a very dark glossy green, 2 inches to 4 inches long, 

 and somewhat rectangular in outline. The terminal portion is armed 

 with three large spines, and there are two also at the base. Usually, but 

 not invariably, there is a decurved spine at each side, near the centre of 

 the leaf. The number of spines therefore is usually five or seven, but 

 curiously Lindley and Paxton show only three in a figure in the first 

 volume of ' The Flower Garden.' The fruit, which is not freely pro- 

 duced, is round, larger than the common holly-berry, and red. It is 

 distinguished by handsome, lustrous foliage, and shapely growth." 



I. CEENATA. 



A Japanese holly, which Sargent says is the most widely distributed 

 and abundant of the evergreen Japanese hollies. It is indispensable to 

 the well-planted garden because of the compact growth and rich shade of 

 green of the leaves. Severe side-pruning is necessary to promote height, 

 and then it makes a delightful specimen. The fruit is black and not 

 abundant. The Japanese train the shrub into quaint shapes, much as 

 the yew and box are treated here. 



