Holly

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European Holly (Ilex aquifolium) leaves and fruit


Plant Characteristics
Cultivation
Scientific Names

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Holly (Ilex, pronounced /ˈaɪlɛks/)[1] is a genus of approximately 600 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family.

Hollies (here, Ilex aquifolium) are dioecious: (above) shoot with flowers from male plant; (top right) male flower enlarged from female plant; (lower right) female flower enlarged, showing stamen and reduced, sterile stamens with no pollen.
A holly bush with a lone red berry in winter.

Holly berries are somewhatTemplate:Clarify toxic and will cause vomiting and/or diarrhea when ingested by people, partly due to the ilicin content. The fatal dose is estimated to be around twenty berries for adults. However they are extremely important food for numerous species of birds, and also are eaten by other wild animals. In the fall and early winter the berries are hard and apparently unpalatable. After being frozen or frosted several times, the berries soften, and become milder in taste. During winter storms, birds often take refuge in hollies, which provide shelter, protection from predators (by the spiny leaves), and food. The flowers are sometimes eaten by the larva of the Double-striped Pug moth (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata). Other Lepidoptera whose larvae feed on holly include Bucculatrix ilecella (which feeds exclusively on hollies) and The Engrailed (Ectropis crepuscularia). Holly is commonly referenced at Christmas time. Also see: wreath for information on how the holly plant is used in Christmas wreaths.

Having evolved numerous species that are endemic to islands and small mountain ranges, and being highly useful plants, many hollies are now becoming rare. Tropical species are especially often threatened by habitat destruction and overexploitation, and at least two have become extinct, with numerous others barely surviving.[2]


Read about Holly in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

Ilex (the ancient Latin name of Quercus ilex). Including Prinos and Othera. Aquifoliaceae (or Ilicineae). Holly. Ornamental woody plants, grown for their handsome foliage and the attractive mostly red berries.

Evergreen or deciduous trees or shrubs: lvs. alternate, petioled, with small, caducous stipules, sometimes spiny: fls. dioecious, usually in rather few-fld. axillary cymes; calyx-lobes, petals and stamens usually 4, sometimes more; ovary superior; style very short: fr. a berry-like drupe, with 2-8 bony 1-seeded stones.— About 275 species in N. and S. Amer., Trop. and Temp. Asia, and few in Afr., Austral, and Eu. Monograph by Loesener in Nov. Act. Leop.-Carol. Acad. 71, pt. 1 (1901). For a horticultural monograph, see Dalli- more, Holly, Yew and Box, pp. 1-149 (1909), with many illustrations.

The hollies have medium-sized, simple leaves, small, inconspicuous, whitish flowers in axillary clusters or solitary, and black, red or sometimes yellow berries, remaining on the branches often until the following spring. Of the evergreen species, only I. glabra and I. opaca are hardy North, and also I. crenata in somewhat sheltered positions. I. aquifolium, I. pernyi, and 7. cornuta are more tender, but stand many degrees of frost if sheltered, while most of the others can be grown only in the South. Of the deciduous species, I. decidua, I. monticola, I. laevigata and 7. I. verticillata are hardy North; also I. serrata and some other Japanese species are hardy or nearly so. The hollies, especially those with scarlet or red berries, are highly ornamental, and the berried branches of I. opaca and I. aquifolium are in great demand for Christmas decoration. Also I. laevigata and I. verticillata, the prettiest in fruit of the deciduous kinds, are sometimes sold for this purpose. The deciduous species are mostly shrubs, while many of the evergreen species grow into small or medium-sized trees, and I. opaca is the tallest of the broad-leaved evergreens which are hardy North and thrives even on extremely poor soil, and has good color also; the evergreens I. crenata, and I. glabra always remain shrubby. I. aquifolium is a favorite evergreen in English gardens, and numerous varieties are there in cultivation; it also grows well on the Pacific coast from British Columbia to California. It stands severe pruning well, and can be clipped and trained into almost every shape; it also makes fine hedges, but its slow growth is a disadvantage. As the chief value of the deciduous species is in the ornamental fruits, and the hollies are dioecious, care should be taken to choose in planting mostly pistillate plants and a few staminate ones and to give the former the most prominent place. The light, close-grained and tough wood of some of the arborescent species is much valued for turnery-work, engraving and cabinent-making. The leaves of some tropical species, as I. paraguariensis and 7. conocarpa, yield a kind of tea known as Yerba de Mate, or Paraguay tea, which is much used in South America. The hollies grow best in rich, well-drained soil, and the evergreen ones in partly shaded situations, but I. laevigata, I. verticillata and also I. serrata prefer moist places, and grow even in swamps. Most of the species grow slowly, and are not easily transplanted when older. The best tune for moving the evergreen species is the early fall, when the young wood has almost ripened, or in the spring just before the plants start into new growth. The leaves should be stripped on I. opaca and I. aquifolium when transplanted, particularly if at all exposed—or at least nearly all. This is absolutely necessary to insure success. Wild hollies may be handled this way with success, particularly if cut back as well. Propagation is by seeds, which do not germinate until the second year, and are therefore stratified and treated like those of the slow-growing hawthorns. The young seedlings should be transplanted^ after the second year. The evergreen species may be" increased by cuttings of ripened wood under glass, especially the shrubby ones; they are also sometimes grafted or budded on seedlings of I. aquifolium or I. opaca.

The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.



Cultivation

Propagation

Pests and diseases

Species

Selected species:


Read about Holly in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

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The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.



Gallery

  • Ilex anomala

  • Ilex chinensis

  • Ilex pedunculosa

  • Ilex rotunda

  • Ilex verticillata

  • Ilex yunnanensis

  • A contorted hedgehog holly.

  • Ilex anomala

  • Ilex chinensis

  • Ilex pedunculosa

  • Ilex rotunda

  • Ilex yunnanensis

References

  1. ↑ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
  2. ↑ International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) (2007): 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Ilex
  3. ↑ Template:Cite paper
  4. ↑ Ulloa Ulloa & Jørgensen (1993), eFloras.org (2007a, b), IUCN (2007), RBGE (2007), USDA (2007a, b)

External links


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