Квітка падубу

Holly (Ilex aquifolium, Aquifoliaceae) is an evergreen tree or shrub with glossy green prickly leaves and bright red berries, which only the female plant produces. The flowers are small, white and fragrant, and spring is the standard time for flowering.

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The species is native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest Asia. The flowers are white, sometimes touched with red, and have four parts such as petal lobes, rarely five. Holly is usually dioecious: the flowers that bear fruit and those that bear pollen grow on separate trees. The flowers are attractive to insects such as bees, wasps, flies, and small butterflies as nectar sources.

A botanical note

The berries contain alkaloids, theobromine, saponins, caffeic acid and a yellow pigment, ilixanthin, and are generally regarded as toxic to humans. The berries mature around October or November and are very bitter at that time because of their ilicin content. The fruit is a drupe about 6-10 mm across, bright red or bright yellow. The flowers sit at the base of the leaves and open from April to July. Holly is the common name of the genus Ilex, which has over 570 species, and Ilex aquifolium is its type species. The wood is hard and white, fine-grained and quite heavy. It is used for wood inlay, small fancy carving and small turned pieces, is easily stained black, and is occasionally substituted for ebony.