Ilex aquifolium — Common Holly

A very common native tree.

The leaves are often very spiny, but, out of range of potential browsers, they are usually almost spineless; in some cultivars all leaves are spineless. The berries are red (except in f. bacciflava, Yellow-berried Holly).

Variegated forms occur in a large number of cultivars, and are collectively termed f. aureomarginata (Golden Holly) and f. argenteomarginata (Silver Holly).

Leaf spine variations, sometimes also variegated, are less frequent: two uncommon extreme ends of the spectrum are represented by the single-spined ‘Crispa’ and the hedgehog-like ‘Ferox’.

For similar trees see: Evergreen broadleaves

 
 

---

Click on an orange link to display the associated image; click on the image to see the larger parent image in a separate window

Copyright © 2007 Philip Brassett