| Holly
Ilex aquifolium |
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Holly is one of Britain's best-known and most distinctive trees, and is found throughout Europe (except the far north - which includes northern Scotland and north-eastern Europe), north Africa, western Asia, and even China! As well as the wild form it is also widely cultivated as a garden tree, sometimes with variegated leaves.
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The
"tree" can range from being a woody shrub to a bush to a hedge to a 20m
tall tree. It has dark shiny green leaves which are usually lobed, toothed,
and, above all, hostile. For this reason the tree can have foliage
down to ground level, as grazing animals tend to prefer less spikey food.
Understandably it is also sometimes planted as a hedge.
In spring and early summer its tiny white (with faint pink tones) flowers 7-8 mm across are, to say the least, inconspicuous. Most people are quite unaware of them. However in the winter months Holly bears the vivid red berries which are so closely associated with Christmas - "The Holly and the Ivy, when they are both full grown...". The berries can last from September through to March and provide an invaluable winter larder for birds, particularly the thrush. For you and I, however, the berries are slightly POISONOUS, and must be avoided - we are not all built as ruggedly as a thrush! |
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