Ilex

The kind Ilex includes/understands more than 350 species distributed in the whole world, under the Tropique S and in the moderate areas. The greatest diversity of species is in America and in the South-East Asia. In Europe, the kind is represented only by only one species ( Ilex aquifolium ), in the same way in Africa ( Ilex mitis ) and in Australia ( Ilex arnhemensis ).

It is for the majority of the woody plants, trees or shrubs, often Dioïque S. the sheets generally persistent, are sometimes provided with prickles. The flowers small, white or of pale color, are frequently gathered in small bouquets with the armpit of the sheets. The fruits are bays, of a bright red at almost all the species.

Many species have a decorative interest. The cut branches ( Ilex aquifolium , Ilex opaca ) charged with red balls decorate the houses with Christmas. Many hybrids and varieties were developed as shrubs of ornament for the parks and gardens.

The various parts of the plant are rather toxic. The sheets of several species have high cafeine rates and were used of long time by the indigenous populations for the exciting, ritual or medicamentous drink clothes industry. Most famous is the Maté ( Ilex paraguariensis ) in South America. One can also quote the yaupon ( Ilex vomitoria ) in North America and the guayusa ( Ilex guayusa ) in Amazonia.

The bays attract the birds which consume them after the frosts reduced toxicity of it.

Although in the beginning the name of Houx is that of the European species ( Ilex aquifolium ), much of representatives of the kind Ilex were also called houx because of the obvious resemblance.

Among Latin, the name Ilex indicated the Holm oak, this origin persisting in the scientific name ( Quercus ilex ). The sheets of the Houx point out indeed those of the holm oak

Principal species

  • Ilex affinis Gardner
  • Ilex ×altaclerensis (Loudon) Dallim.
  • Ilex shadbush Mr. A. Curtis ex Chapm.
  • Ilex aquifolium L., the Houx of Europe
  • Ilex ×aquipernyi Gable ex Whittem.
  • Ilex argentina Lillo
  • Ilex arimensis (Loess.) Britton ex R.O. Williams
  • Ilex asprella (Hook. & Arn.) Field. ex Benth.
  • Ilex ×attenuata Ashe
  • Ilex ×beanii Rehder
  • Ilex bioritensis Hayata
  • Ilex brasiliensis (Spreng.) Loess.
  • Ilex brevicuspis Reissek
  • Ilex buergeri Miq.
  • Ilex canariensis Poir.
  • Ilex cassine L.
  • Ilex centrochinensis S.Y. Hu
  • Ilex ciliospinosa Loess.
  • Ilex cinerea Field. ex Benth.
  • Ilex colchica Pojark.
  • Ilex collina Alexander
  • Ilex cookii Britton & P. Wilson
  • Ilex corallina Franch.
  • Ilex coriacea (Pursh) Chapm.
  • Ilex cornuta Lindl. & Paxton
  • Ilex crenata Thunb., the crenelated Houx, houx of small size of Japanese origin to compact vegetation and sometimes gilded sheet, adapted to the sunny situations
  • Ilex will cyrtura Merr.
  • Ilex decidua Walter
  • Ilex delavayi Franch.
  • Ilex dimorphophylla Koidz.
  • Ilex dipyrena Wall.
  • Ilex dumosa Reissek
  • Ilex excelsa (Wall.) Hook. F.
  • Ilex fargesii Franch.
  • Ilex ficoidea Hemsl.
  • Ilex forrestii H.F. Comber
  • Ilex fragilis Hook. F.
  • Ilex geniculata Maxim.
  • Ilex georgei H.F. Comber
  • Ilex will glabra (L.) A. Gray
  • Ilex goshiensis Hayata
  • Ilex will graciliflora Champ. ex Benth.
  • Ilex guayusa Loess.
  • Ilex guianensis (Aubl.) Kuntze
  • Ilex hanceana Maxim.
  • Ilex hayataiana Loess.
  • Ilex hookeri King
  • Ilex insignis Hook. F.
  • Ilex integerrima (Vell.) Reissek
  • Ilex integrated Thunb.
  • Ilex intricata Hook. F.
  • Ilex ×kiusiana Hatus.
  • Ilex ×koehneana Loess.
  • Ilex krugiana Loess.
  • Ilex laevigata (Pursh) A. Gray
  • Ilex latifolia Thunb.
  • Ilex leucoclada (Maxim.) Makino
  • Ilex liukiuensis Loess.
  • Ilex longipes Chapm. ex Trel.
  • Ilex macfadyenii (Walp.) Rehder
  • Ilex macrocarpa Oliv.
  • Ilex macropoda Miq.
  • Ilex ×makinoi H. Hara
  • Ilex memecylifolia Field. ex Benth.
  • Ilex ×meserveae S.Y. Hu
  • Ilex micrococca Maxim.
  • Ilex mitis (L.) Radlk., the houx of Africa
  • Ilex Montana Torr. & A. Gray
  • Ilex mucronata (L.) Mr. Powell and Al
  • Ilex myrtifolia Walter
  • Ilex nipponica Makino
  • Ilex nothofagacifolia Kingdon-Ward
  • Ilex opaca Aiton, the American Houx
  • Ilex paraguariensis A. St. - Hill., the Subdued
  • Ilex pedunculosa Miq.
  • Ilex perado Aiton, the Houx of Madeira
  • Ilex pernyi Franch.
  • Ilex pubescens Hook. & Arn.
  • Ilex purpurea Hassk.
  • Ilex rockii S.Y. Hu
  • Ilex rotunda Thunb.
  • Ilex will rubra S. Watson
  • Ilex rugosa F. Schmidt
  • Ilex scopulorum Humb. & Bonpl. ex Schult. & Schult. F.
  • Ilex serrata Thunb.
  • Ilex sideroxyloides (Sw.) Griseb.
  • Ilex sikkimensis Kurz
  • Ilex sintenisii (Urb.) Britton
  • Ilex sugerokii Maxim.
  • Ilex szechuanensis Loess.
  • Ilex theezans Reissek
  • Ilex tutcheri Merr.
  • Ilex venulosa Hook. F.
  • Ilex verticillata (L.) A. Gray.
  • Ilex viridis Field. ex Benth.
  • Ilex vomitoria Ground. ex Aiton, the yaupon
  • Lex ×wandoensis c.f. Millet. & Mr. Kim
  • Ilex warburgii Loess.
  • Ilex wightiana Wall. ex Wight
  • Ilex wilsonii Loess.
  • Ilex yunnanensis Franch.

Simple: Holly

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