Dictionary:

holly

  (hŏl'ē)

1. 1. Any of numerous trees or shrubs of the genus Ilex, usually having bright red berries and glossy evergreen leaves with spiny margins.
   2. Branches of these plants, traditionally used for Christmas decoration.
2. Any of various similar or related plants.

[Middle English holin, holi, from Old English holen.]

The American species of holly (Ilex opaca) has evergreen leaves. It grows naturally in the eastern and southeastern United States close to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, in the Mississippi Valley, and westward to Oklahoma and Missouri. It is best known for its bright red berries. The heartwood takes a high polish and is used for cabinet work and musical instruments; because it resembles ivory, it is sometimes used for keys for pianos and organs.

The English holly (I. aquifolium) is cultivated extensively in the extreme northwestern United States, but is not hardy in the northeastern states. Its spiny leaves are glossier than those of the American holly and have wavier margins.

(click to enlarge)
American holly (Ilex opaca) (credit: © Noble Proctor — The National Audubon Society Collection/Photo Researchers)

Any of approximately 400 species of red- or black-berried ornamental shrubs and trees that make up the genus Ilex (family Aquifoliaceae), including the popular Christmas hollies. English holly (I. aquifolium) bears shiny, spiny, dark, evergreen leaves; American holly (I. opaca) has oblong, prickly leaves; both have usually red fruits. There are spineless and yellow-fruited forms of both species.

For more information on holly, visit Britannica.com.

Without doubt the most popular plant for Christmas decorations, the holly has several associated traditions, most of which are positive. It is sometimes stated, however, that it is unlucky to bring holly into the house at times other than Christmas, and Vickery reports some households which will not allow the plant indoors at any time. Nevertheless, in Worcestershire and Herefordshire, a small piece of holly which had adorned a church at Christmas time was regarded as very lucky to hang up in your house, even though the domestic decorations had to be burnt as usual (N&Q 5s: 11 (1879), 206). The two types—prickly and smooth—have been the focus for a minor domestic battle of the sexes—if the prickly holly was brought in first, the man would rule, but if smooth holly preceded it, the wife would be master (N&Q 11s:6 (1912), 486, also 11s:4 (1911), 526).

Holly trees were believed to be generally protective against witches and other evils, and were thus planted near churches and houses, as noticed by John Aubrey (1686: 189). In particular they were a good place to shelter in a storm because they were never struck by lightning. It is still considered unlucky by many to cut down a holly bush or tree, a belief which dates back at least to the 15th century. A good crop of berries on the holly is still said to betoken a hard winter on the way. Because of its connection with Christmas, ‘green holly’ has long been the emblem of mirth and jollity for poets and playwrights (see N&Q 12s:5 (1919), 319; 12s:6 (1920), 21-2, 52 for examples). A practical use for holly, so far recorded only in the 19th and 20th centuries, is for curing chilblains by thrashing them with the spiked leaves or, in some cases, rubbing them with powdered holly berries or their ashes. Holly could also be used in love divination.

Bibliography
The full bibliography list is available here.

• Opie and Tatem, 1989: 199-201
• Vickery, 1995: 179-82
• Henderson, 1879: 99-100

This name is probably a corruption of the word holy since this plant has been used from time immemorial as a protection against evil influence. It was hung around or planted near houses as a protection against lightning. Its common use at Christmas apparently originated in an ancient Roman festival in which holly was dedicated to the god Saturn. While the Romans were holding this feast—which occurred about the time of the winter solstice—they decked the outsides of their houses with holly. At the same time the Christians were quietly celebrating the birth of Christ, and to avoid detection they outwardly followed the custom of their heathen neighbors and decked their houses with holly as well. In this way holly came to be connected with Christmas customs. The plant was also regarded as a symbol of the Resurrection.

The use of mistletoe along with holly probably came from the notion that in winter the fairies took shelter under its leaves and that they protected all who sheltered the plant. The origin of kissing under the mistletoe is considered to have come from Saxon ancestors of the British, who regarded this plant as dedicated to Freya, the goddess of love.

Tutor's tip: Note: Something "holey: contains holes. "Holly" is a plant with bright red berries. To be "holy" is to be religious. "Wholly" means altogether.

This article is about the plant. For other uses, see Holly (disambiguation).

Holly
Ilex aquifolium leaves and fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Aquifoliales Family: Aquifoliaceae Genus: Ilex L.
Species
See text

Hollies (here, Ilex aquifolium) are dioecious: (above) shoot with flowers from male plant; (top right) male flower enlarged, showing stamens with pollen and reduced, sterile stigma; (below) shoot with flowers from female plant; (lower right) female flower enlarged, showing stigma and reduced, sterile stamens with no pollen.

Holly (Ilex) is a genus of about 600 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only genus in that family. 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 serrations. 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.

Selected 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 – Gallberry 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 kudingcha Ilex kusanoi

Ilex laevigata Ilex latifolia – Tarajo Holly Ilex leucoclada Ilex longipes Ilex macrocarpa Ilex macropoda Ilex mitis Ilex montana – Mountain Winterberry Ilex mucronata – 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

Sources:^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Ilex verticillata foliage and berries

Holly berries are mildly toxic and will cause vomiting and/or diarrhea when ingested by people. 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. Other Lepidoptera whose larvae feed on holly include Bucculatrix ilecella (which feeds exclusively on holly) and the Engrailed.

The species Ilex mucronata, formerly treated in a separate genus Nemopanthus, is now included in Ilex on molecular data; it is closely related to Ilex amelanchier.^[7][8]

Etymology

The origin of the word holly is Old English holegn, which is related to Old High German hulis (the French word for holly, houx, derives from the German word). These Germanic words appear to be related to words for holly in Celtic languages, such as Welsh celyn and Irish cuilleann.

The botanical name ilex was the original Latin name for the Holm Oak Quercus ilex, which has similar foliage to common holly, and is occasionally confused with it.

Uses

Trunk and leaves of a variegated holly bush.

In many western cultures, holly is a traditional Christmas decoration, used especially in wreaths. Many of the hollies are highly decorative, and are widely used as ornamental plants in gardens and parks. The wood is heavy, hard and white; one traditional use is for chess pieces, with holly for the white pieces, and ebony for the black. Other uses include turnery, inlay work and as firewood. Looms in the 1800s used holly for the spinning rod. Because holly is dense and can be sanded very smooth, the rod was less likely than other woods to snag threads being used to make cloth.

A holly bush with a lone red berry in winter.

Several American holly species are used to make various caffeine rich teas. The South American I. paraguariensis is used to make yerba mate, a common drink. I. guayusa is used both as a stimulant and as an admixture to the entheogenic tea ayahuasca; The leaves of I. guayusa have the highest caffeine content of any known plant. In North and Central America, I. vomitoria, Yaupon, was used by southeastern Native Americans as a ceremonial stimulant and emetic known as the black drink. As the name suggests, the tea's purgative properties were one of its main uses, most often ritually. In China, the young leaf buds of I. kudingcha are processed in a method similar to green tea to make a tisane called Ku Ding tea.

Holly shrubs and trees are often used by homeowners and landscape architects for home security purposes. The sharp thorns of many species deter unauthorised persons from entering private properties, and may prevent break-ins if planted under windows and near drainpipes. The aesthetic characteristics of holly plants, in conjunction with their home security qualities, makes them a good choice for hedges.^[9]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Ilex

1. ^ Germplasm Resources Information Network: Ilex species list
2. ^ Flora of China: Ilex species list
3. ^ Flora of Ecuador: Ilex
4. ^ Flora Europaea: Ilex species list
5. ^ Flora of Nepal: Ilex species list
6. ^ USDA Plants Profile: Ilex
7. ^ Powell, M., Savolainen, V., Cuénod, P., Manen, J. F., & Andrews, S. (2000). The mountain holly (Nemopanthus mucronatus: Aquifoliaceae) revisited with molecular data. Kew Bulletin 55: 341–347.
8. ^ Gottlieb, A. M., Giberti, G. C., & Poggio, L. (2005). Molecular analyses of the genus Ilex (Aquifoliaceae) in southern South America, evidence from AFLP and ITS sequence data. Amer. J. Bot. 92: 352-369. Available online.
9. ^ Northumbria Police: Security starts at the Garden Gate

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - kristtjørn

Nederlands (Dutch)
hulst, steeneik

Français (French)
n. - houx

Deutsch (German)
n. - Stechpalme

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (φυτολ.) αρκουδοπούρναρο, λιόπρινο, ου

Italiano (Italian)
agrifoglio

Português (Portuguese)
n. - azevinho (m) (Bot.)

Русский (Russian)
падуб, остролист

Español (Spanish)
n. - acebo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - järnek, kristtorn

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
冬青树

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 冬青樹

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 서양호랑가시나무

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 柊, セイヨウヒイラギ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) البهشيه أو الايلكس, نبات ذو ورق صقيل شائك الأطراف وزهر صغير ضارب إلى البياض‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮צינית (שיח ירוק-עד)‬

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