some undiscovered point of dissimi- 
larity. Both are worthy of high place in 
the esteem of the lovers of the hollies. 
SHEPHERDII, M—Even more mili- 
tary like than his cousin Hodginsii, 
this arresting male of bold and armored 
attire is unmistakably masculine with 
leaves and bark of dark complexion. 
(See Hodginsii above.) 
WILSONII, F—It seems that the most 
beautiful of the broad leafed hollies 
has been reserved to the last. But far 
from least, Wilsonii is the true beauty 
queen of the series. Magnificent is the 
word for this holly of marvelous beauty 
and form. A specimen in full berry has 
been aptly described as a “cloud of 
scarlet against the sky.” 
B. Hollies with leaves decorated in gold and silver. 
Before listing the exciting hollies illuminated with silver and gold, 
it seems timely here to acquaint the reader with the origins and nature 
of these fanciful variants from the norm of the species. Since a better 
appreciation of the variegated hollies requires an understanding of the 
terms mutation and sport, it will be of interest to neophytes, like myself, 
to the science of botany to learn that vegetative growth can spon- 
taneously mutate or change itself over from its apparently fixed habit 
to an entirely new form. Such phenomena are referred to as sports and 
they exhibit themselves in two principal ways as either seed sports 
or bud sports. 
Illustrations of holly seed sports are those bearing yellow or orange 
fruit, the green weeping hollies, those with over-all golden leaves and 
many of the smooth leaf types. Bud sports occur when a terminal bud 
swells to bursting at the spring season and willy-nilly as if from nowhere 
at all there emerges a pixilated branchlet garbed with color or form 
out of this world. Thus through beneficent Nature’s creative handiwork 
our gardens have been blessed with a dazzling display of gorgeous 
hollies arrayed in silver and gold. 
By intent observation of the growth behavior of our hollies we are 
ever making exciting “finds” and thanks to our knowledge of vege- 
tative reproduction we can capture these new discoveries and “bring 
them home alive.”” Then by a multiplication process of propagation 
fully as mysterious as alchemy itself we are enabled to expand each of 
our wild mutants into a thousand replicas to be shared by others who 
seek the beautiful and unusual among the hollies. 
To introduce, with proper respect for historical precedent, the regal 
hollies with leaves so colorfully variegated by bands of silver and gold 
encircling their handsome green centers, presents a dilemma in protocol. 
Heretofore, when confronted by confusing problems of title and rank 
we have willingly accepted the dictates of England’s renowned botanical 
experts and their long established nurserymen. But after wrestling for 
years with English in reverse, I have chosen my course and do now 
renounce the foreign historical custom of choosing the loveliest of their 
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