Botanical lore
Holly
prefers deciduous woodland and open pastures, and is the only tree that can
survive under the dense shade of beech trees. The only european evergreen
that
has leaves, holly needs the protection of tall trees from intense cold as it is
not resistant to hard winter frost and therefore is found mainly in the west (in
central Europe it rarely grows larger than a shrub in consequence).
With its
shiny, waxy leaves (like plastic or leather) and their wavy, accentuated spiny
margins it is easy to distinguish. Above the reach of browsing animals, its
leaves become much less spiky. With its slow and patient growth, holly is very
strong and resistant, and its wood tough, of high-quality with an even texture.
Growing best on sandy, slightly acidic or lime soils, holly trees usually attain
two to three hundred years of age.
Once it reaches about twenty, holly begins to
produce small, white, finely scented flowers that appear in May or June from the
leaf nodes. Usually dioecious (separate male and female trees), holly can
produce both genders of flower on the same tree when distribution is too sparse
for insect fertilisation. Its berries are initially green and become their
traditional bright red in autumn, remaining on the tree all winter.
Its seeds
germinate in the ground on the second or third year Holly is an important source
of food to many birds, although the berries are poisonous to humans, being are
highly emetic and laxative. However the leaves are known for their healing
properties and tea made from them wa used for curing feverish colds, coughs and
loosening mucus. As a Bach Flower, holly is used to combat disconnecteness
through jealousy, hatred and insensitivity, by opening the heart and prompting
all-encompassing love.
holly family aquifoliaceae. holly (ilex aquifolium)
Added notes: related forms are scarlet oak, kerm-oak, holly oak, holm oak, also ilex, terebinth.