? Holly | ||||||||||||
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| [image] European Holly | ||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||
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| Species | ||||||||||||
| Ilex ambigua - Sand Holly Ilex amelanchier - Swamp Holly Ilex aquifolium - European Holly Ilex bioritsensis Ilex buergeri Ilex canariensis - Small-leaved Holly Ilex cassine - Dahoon Holly Ilex centrochinensis Ilex ciliospinosa Ilex colchica Ilex collina Ilex corallina Ilex coriacea Ilex cornuta - Chinese Holly Ilex crenata - Japanese Holly Ilex cyrtura Ilex decidua - Possumhaw Ilex dehongensis Ilex dimorphophylla Ilex dipyrena - Himalayan Holly Ilex fargesii Ilex geniculata Ilex georgei Ilex glabra - Gallberry, Inkberry Ilex goshiensis Ilex guayusa Ilex integra Ilex intricata Ilex kingiana Ilex kusanoi Ilex laevigata Ilex latifolia - Tarajo Holly Ilex leucoclada Ilex longipes Ilex macrocarpa Ilex macropoda Ilex mitis Ilex montana - Mountain Holly Ilex myrtifolia - Myrtle Holly Ilex nothofagifolia Ilex opaca - American Holly Ilex paraguariensis - Yerba Mate Ilex pedunculosa Ilex perado - Madeiran Holly Ilex pernyi - Perny's Holly Ilex pringlei Ilex pubescens Ilex purpurea Ilex rotunda Ilex rugosa Ilex serrata - Japanese Winterberry Ilex sikkimensis Ilex spinigera Ilex sugerokii Ilex tolucana Ilex verticillata - American Winterberry Ilex vomitoria - Yaupon Holly Ilex wilsonii Ilex yunnanensis |
Holly (Ilex) is a genus of about 400 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae. They are shrubs and trees from 2-25 m tall, with a wide distribution in Asia, Europe, north Africa, and North and South America. The leaves are simple, and can be either Deciduous or Evergreen depending on the species, and may be entire, finely toothed, or with widely-spaced, spine-tipped leaves. Hollies are mostly dioecious, with male and female flowers on different plants, with some exceptions. Pollination is mainly by bees and other insects. The Fruit is a small Berry, usually red when mature, with one to ten seeds.
[image] Holly berries are mildly toxic and will cause vomiting and/or diarrhea when ingested by people (note the scientific name of the Yaupon Holly!). 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 edible. 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.