What are the types of holly?

There are many types of holly. The common types of holly include plum-leaf holly, gray holly, banyan-leaf holly, fine-flowered holly, Guangdong holly, and large-leaf holly (Ilex kudingcha).

Ilex serrata (Ilex serrata)

Deciduous shrub, 3 meters high. There are long branches and short branches. The twigs are hairless, green, and brown after drying. They all have obvious white lenticels, and the long branches are slender.

It is produced in Xianju, Longquan, Qingyuan, Taishun and other places. It grows in valleys, roadside thickets or broad-leaved forests at an altitude of 400 to 1000 meters. Distributed in Jiangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, Hunan, Guangdong and Guangxi.

The roots are used for medicinal purposes and have the effects of clearing away heat, detoxifying, reducing swelling and dispersing blood stasis; the leaves contain ursolic acid, which has certain effects on coronary heart disease and angina pectoris.

Ilex Ficus

Evergreen tree, 12 meters high. Branchlets yellowish brown or reddish brown, glabrous.

The leaves are leathery and are produced in Kaihua, Xianju, Linhai, Suichang, Songyang, Longquan, Qingyuan, Yunhe, Jingning, Jinyun, Lishui, Ruian, Wencheng, Taishun and Pingyang.

It grows in valleys, streamside woods or thickets at an altitude of 400 to 800 meters.

Distributed in provinces, regions and Taiwan south of the Yangtze River basin. There is also one in Japan. The wood has straight texture, fine structure and medium quality, and can be used for furniture making, fine work, art, etc.

Guangdong Holly

Small evergreen tree, 10 meters high. The bark is dark grey.

The twigs are ribbed, black when dry, and covered with rusty or yellowish brown short hairs.

It is produced in Longquan, Qingyuan, Taishun, Wencheng, Pingyang and other places.

It grows in sparse woods on hillsides, valleys, and gullies at an altitude of 250 to 900 meters.

Distributed in Jiangxi, Fujian, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan.

Ilex macrophylla

Large evergreen tree, up to 20 meters tall. The bark is gray-black and completely hairless.

The twigs are thick, yellowish brown, with longitudinal cracks and ridges.

It grows in evergreen broad-leaved forests on hillsides and valleys at an altitude of 250 to 800 meters, and is also commonly cultivated next to houses.

Distributed in provinces along the Yangtze River and Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi. There is also one in Japan.

The leaves and fruits are used for medicinal purposes and can also be used as a garden greening tree species.

Holly

Deciduous shrub or small tree, 2 to 6 meters high. The bark is chestnut brown and has no lenticels.

Branchlets slender, densely pubescent. It is produced in Jinhua, Suichang, Songyang, Longquan, Qingyuan, Yunhe, Jingning, Lishui, Taishun, Pingyang and other places.

It grows in thickets on hillsides at an altitude of 200 to 900 meters. Distributed in Anhui, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi.

Ilex ironii

Evergreen tree, 20 meters high. The bark is light gray, the twigs are angular, reddish brown and glabrous.

It is produced in Hangzhou, Lin'an, Putuo, Xianju, Longquan and other places, and grows in sparse woods or on hillsides in warm, humid and fertile environments.

It is distributed from south of the Yangtze River basin to the southwestern provinces and Taiwan Province, and also in Japan and North Korea. The bark, roots and leaves are used for medicinal purposes.

Sichuan Holly

Shrubs or small trees, 1-10 meters high; young branches nearly quadrangular, with longitudinal ridges and grooves, pubescent or only pubescent in the grooves, older branches with raised crescent-shaped leaf scars, lenticels not obvious; terminal buds conical, pubescent.