On the vast territory of the largest continent - Eurasia - more fully than on others, one can notice the manifestation of the planetary law of geographical landscape zonality. Despite the fact that the border between Europe and Asia is quite long, the formation of their soil cover was uneven. That is why the flora of Eurasia is so diverse. There are so many different plants that it’s hard to count. The names of the ornamental trees and fruit crops of the continent are so numerous that they make weighty volumes. We will consider only one rather interesting plant.
Holly
Photos of this representative of the plant world of our continent are familiar to everyone. Its branches, fixed together with mistletoe and rowan tassels above the entrance to the dwellings, our ancestors drove away
unclean forces long before Rome was founded. The name of the decorative trees of the Padubov family is found in Celtic, Baltic, Scandinavian and Slavic literature.
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Holly, whose photo can often be found on Christmas cards, belongs to the family of the same name. It has about four hundred species, common in both temperate and tropical regions. Few people know that all its species are poisonous plants. Photos and their names are in any manuals on crop production.
These are evergreen shrubs or trees with spiky, jagged, less often whole-marginal leaves. All representatives of dioecious species have small, axillary flowers and berry-shaped fruits - drupes, which are very appetizing in appearance, but inedible: they are all poisonous plants.
Photos and names of varieties of holly
There are many varieties of this representative of the Eurasian flora. For example, a small town, also called Japanese, a subspecies is an evergreen plant, the height of which reaches only two and a half meters. It has small and rounded leaves.
Another variety, the holly meserve, is a hybrid that has many varieties with very dark bluish-green leaves. Purely "male" Blui Prince is considered an excellent pollinator for its "brothers." Same-sex are also Golden and Blue Princesses. Some varieties, including Blue Meid, have both female and male flowers on the same plant. They have ordinary green foliage, not as spectacular as, for example, the Blue Angel, because it lacks the characteristic metallic luster.
Most varieties have red fruits, although some, for example, Golden Princess, are yellow.
Many believe that holly can only be evergreen, but this is not so. In the same family there are deciduous subspecies. Of particular interest is the externally decorative whorled holly. He hails from the northeastern regions of North America. He gets along well with other hardwoods. You can meet whorled holly only on moist soils, for example, on swamps or along the banks of watercourses.
Ilex aquifolia
This is what the most common variety is called in Latin - Holly Holly. It is appreciated for the luster of leathery leaves - dark green or two-tone - as well as for the brightness of the eye-catching fruits of red or yellow, white or black, and even orange.
The holly has a holly (or ordinary) appearance that looks like a real Christmas tree. It reaches a height of up to nine, and a width of up to six meters. It has a conical (and in adult specimens slightly rounded at the apex) shape. Small white and very fragrant flowers appear in June or July, depending on the region. They remain on the branches for only two weeks. Then they are replaced by bright red fruit fruit from berries, reaching a size of half a centimeter. It is the holly - the plant, on the basis of which many varieties were bred.
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This evergreen shrub with a pointedly conical openwork form grows quite slowly. The holly-holly branches grow very densely, and the lower lateral processes are hanging down. Ovate-lanceolate leaves with notched-wavy edges are densely located on them. Holly - a dioecious plant.
It has a deep root system. Lateral processes are widespread. They can form root offspring. Holly Holly grows well on fertile neutral soils. He prefers partial shade or even full shadow. Young plants can suffer from frost. Nevertheless, holly holly is a tree that can withstand smoke with gas contamination in the air. It is propagated by cuttings.
Spread
Holly is widely cultivated in Western Europe. Its cultivation in the Russian middle lane is somewhat difficult due to the low winter hardiness of young animals. But it can be safely planted in gardens in the Caucasus or on the Black Sea coast. Holly is well suited as a plant with permutation cultivation: overexposure to winter cold in cold rooms with low but positive temperatures. It grows well not only on drained, but generally on any, not too poor, including on moderately dry-wet, humus soils. In this case, on relatively moist soils, this shrub is more photophilous. When breeding, you need to remember that the holly often dies from a sunburn.
Care
Holly - a plant that in the garden does not require increased attention. It can safely take root both on sandy and clay soils, but subject to their high water permeability, as well as in the presence of humus. Holly is a holly drought tolerant. Formative pruning of the shrub is best done after fruiting.
When planting in the garden, it should be borne in mind that the holly holly requires cross-pollination. Therefore, for abundant fruiting on the site you need to have several plants, you can even combine two varieties, planting male and female trees close to each other.
Sometimes the holly is affected by late blight, leading to rotting of the rhizomes and to the complete death of the plant. Therefore, if this disease is found on a tree, the plant must be immediately destroyed and the soil around disinfected.
In case of prolonged drought, the plant should be watered very abundantly, especially young or potted specimens. Every spring, holly holly must be fed with liquid fertilizer diluted at the rate of thirty milliliters per bucket of water.
In bible plots
One of the legends says that where the Savior set foot on earth, holly bushes sprouted. There are even images in which on the head of Christ, instead of a thorny one, a prickly wreath from a holly is worn.
According to the biblical legend, once the berries of this plant were snow-white, however, they turned red, stained with the blood of the Savior.
"Magic power
The holly (or ordinary) man paid attention to the holly long before the advent of Christianity. The inhabitants of the Atlantic and Mediterranean coast, where this shrub grows wildly, from ancient times deified it, endowing it with magical power.
This viable plant is able to survive even in a deep forest shade, where not a single seed sprouts. It enters the peak of its decorativeness in the late autumn and survives the winter with an evergreen, decorated with leaves and fruits, armed with its blood-red poisonous berries that give protection to people.
It was believed that a magic wand can be made of it, and a spear with a shaft made of its wood will bring an unconditional victory over evil forces. And today there is still a belief that a plentiful harvest of holly fruits is a harbinger of a harsh winter.
Fruit
Holly berries of Holly ripen in the fall. They winter well on a tree. This plant is one of the most beloved and most expressive symbols of Christmas. In Christianity, Holly Holly, a photo of which is even in biblical literature, is an expression of suffering. Its
red berries symbolize blood. But in general, the plant represents eternal life and rebirth.
Holly berries centuries ago were used in the treatment of fever and some other diseases. There is evidence that it was they who more than once helped with smallpox epidemics that erupt in Europe.
Traditional healers know that although the fruits and leaves of the holly holly, although they have antipyretic and some other medicinal properties, they must be used with great care. Drugs made from them are very dangerous due to the content of such a highly toxic substance as ylicin.
Only fifteen or twenty berries will be enough for an adult to receive severe poisoning after eating them. Although in fairness it should be noted that not many deaths are known in history. German healers say that after poisoning, you need to knock out a "wedge with a wedge": it is enough to rub against the trunk of the first holly bush encountered so that almost immediate healing occurs.
Holly holly in landscape design
This beautiful plant finds excellent use, like other shrubs in a natural garden. It provides birds with food for the winter thanks to its fruits, which are stored on the branches almost until the next flowering begins. And it is thanks to the birds that the holly multiplies in the wild: eating berries, they spread the seeds contained in them almost everywhere.
Gardeners know that the young shoots of this plant are the most intrusive weeds. Holly Holly is amenable to curly haircut. Therefore, designers very often use it to obtain beautiful topiary. Bonsai lovers also love working with this shrub.
In the garden
From a practical point, the holly (or common holly) is of interest as a wind-shelter plantation, it is well suited for landing on the sea coast due to its high resistance to salt. In addition, it turns out a very reliable
hedge. The unusually spiky leaves of hollies on closely planted plants - reliable protection of the garden from unwanted visitors. And decorative compositions made from this holly for Christmas or New Year make this culture even more attractive.
At home
Due to the fact that the holly is very beautiful, many people prefer to grow it in pots. At home, it needs to be transplanted every two years (in the spring) into a container more spacious than the real one. The substrate for growing in a pot should be a mixture of fertile soddy soil, peat and sand, taken in equal quantities, seasoned with complex fertilizer.