458 
THE HOLLY. 
an evergreen low tree, growing from thirty 
feel and upwards, and forming a very hand- 
some conical or spiral bead. The branches 
are thickly set with oblong leaves, which are 
shining, wavy, and beset with spinous teeth. 
This latter is, however, only the character of 
the leaves on young trees, and of the lower ones 
on older trees; the upper ones are, for the 
most part) entirely spineless : this has given 
rise 10 those beautiful lines of Southey's, with 
which every English reader must be familiar: 
"Below, a circling fence its leaves are seen, 
"Wrinkled and keen ; 
No grazing cattle, through their prickly round, 
Can reach to wound ; 
But as they grow where nothing is to fear, 
Smooth and unarm'd, their pointless leaves appear." 
The flowers of the Holly are small and 
white, collected into little bunches ; these are 
succeeded by the beautiful red berries, which 
form the symbol of the Christmas festivities 
— " the holly branch" on the " wall.". Of this 
species there are a great number of varieties, 
which are thus enumerated by Mr. Loudon : 
— heterophyllum (various-leaved) ; angusti- 
folium (narrow-leaved) ; latifolium (broad- 
leaved); altaclerense (High Clere, with broad 
thin flat leaves); marginatum (tnick-margined- 
leaved, without prickles); laurifolium (laurel- 
leaved, small, without prickles) ; ciliatum 
(ciliated leaves, small, with hair-like prickles 
along the margins); ciliatum minus (smaller 
ciliated); recurvum (recurved-leaved); serra- 
tifolium (saw -leaved); crispum (curled-leaved); 
ferox (the hedgehog Holly, the surface of the 
reflexed leaves covered with prickles); crassi- 
folium (thick -leaved); senescens (spineless, or 
aged); albo-marginatum (white-edged-leaved, 
of which there are numerous variations); aureo- 
marginatum (gold-edged-leaved, many varia- 
tions); albo-pictum (white-spotted-leaved, of 
which a considerable part of' the centre is 
white* and the margin green); aureo-pictum 
(gold-spotted-leaved, in the same way as the 
last, many valuations) ; ferox argenteum (silver- 
blotched hedgehog) ; ferox aureum (gold- 
blotched hedgehog) ; fructu-luteo (yellow - 
fruited); fructu-albo (white-fruited). Of these 
the following selection are markedly distinct 
in appearance : — angustifolium, marginatum, 
ciliatum, serratifolium, ferox, crassifolium, 
fructu-luteo, and instances of the six different 
kinds of variegation. A pendulous variety, of 
a strongly marked character, exists in Dalkeith 
Park ; and a fastigiate one in the neighbour- 
hood of Edinburgh. 
Ilex opaca, (the opaque-leaved, or Ameri- 
can Holly,) forms a beautiful evergreen small 
tree, of various height, according to the situ- 
ation in which it is grown. It is applied, in 
America, to all the purposes for which the 
common Holly is used in England. The leaves 
are ovate, flat, and leathery, toothed in a scal- 
loped manner, and smooth, but not glossy. 
The flowers are white, produced in May and 
June, and succeeded by handsome scarlet 
berries. It is found in various parts of North 
America. There is a variety of this found in 
Carolina, called I. opaca laxiflora, which has the 
flowers borne, in a scattered manner, on long 
peduncles, and produces yellow berries. 
Ilex balearica, (the Minorca Holly,) a 
good deal resembles the common Holly. The 
leaves, however, are more acute, and flat, less 
wavy on the margin, and generally of a yel- 
lowish green colour ; they are sometimes 
entire, and sometimes spiny. The flowers are 
white, on very short stalks, produced in May. 
Ilex Cassine, (the Cassine-like, or broad- 
leaved Dahoon Holly,) is a low evergreen 
tree, a native of shady swamps in Lower Caro- 
lina and Florida. The leaves are ovate lance- 
shaped, flat, sharply saw-edged, and about the 
size of those of the Arbutus. The flowers are 
yellowish white, produced in August, and suc- 
ceeded by red berries, rather smaller than 
those of the common Holly. It forms a shrub, 
eight to ten feet high, and, from the profusion 
in which its berries are borne, has a very 
handsome appearance in the winter season. It 
is called I. caroliniana; I. cassinoides ; and, by 
some authors, I. Dahoon. 
Ilex angtjsttfolia, (the narrow-leaved 
, Holly,) is an evergreen shrub, found in the 
swamps of North America, from Virginia to 
Georgia, growing from six to ten feet high. 
The leaves are linear -lanceolate^ with the mar- 
gin somewhat bent downwards, and serrated, 
or saw-edged, near the point. The flowers 
are white, and are produced in June ; they are 
succeeded by globular red berries. It is a dis- 
tinct and handsome plant, but not very much 
grown. Called also, I. myrtifolia, and I. ros- 
marinifolia. 
Ilex voMiTORiA,(the emetic Holly, or South 
Sea Tea,) is a small evergreen tree, growing 
from twelve to fifteen feet high, with oblong 
or elliptic leaves, blunt at both ends, and 
crenately serrated on the margin. The flowers 
are whitish, produced in June, and are followed 
by red berries, resembling the common species. 
It is a native of moist shady places, in several 
parts of North America, — as Florida, Carolina, 
and Virginia. Ilex religiosa, I. floridana, 
and I. ligustrina, are names by which this 
species is also known. 
Ilex Dahoon, (the Dahoon Holly,) is a 
handsome evergreen shrub, or low tree, grow- 
ing from ten feet upwards. It is found in the 
open swamps of North America, from Carolina 
to Florida. The leaves are lanceolately ellip- 
tical, nearly entire on the margin, the midrib 
I and petiole slightly villous. The white flowers 
I are borne in May and June, in corymbose 
