Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-21

sung, are still dense in the country to
the south of Washington Ii you should
be enough interested in holly to read
up on it. you will learn that it is classi-
fed under the head of ''ilicaceae that
is. il belongs TO the lick family. You
Will probably see something like this:
'Holly-Shrubs or trees with watery sap
and alternate petioled simple, often coria-
ceous leaves, flowers axiliary, small clus-
tered or solitary; white, mainly polyga
modiecious. regular. stipules minute and
deciduous or none: calyA. etc: petals,
etc: stamens hypogynous etc You
might read a great deal OF scientific mat
ter about holly and not know a holly tree
when YOU meet Ii.
\ great many varieties OF holly grow
III this world. Many species grow III the
L nited States and "A good MANY species
in the neighbo! hood OF Washington The
two leading kinds are the white holly
Or the American holly. and Dahoon holly.
II is mainly with these varieties OF holly
that Washington people decorate their
homes at Christmas.
The White holly grows III moist woods
from Massachusetts to Florida, westward
to Missouri, and it bears its red Der
rier or 'drupes," southwark and west
ward through Texas. II is most album
dant near the coast. Its wood Is nearly
white and quite hard. Then, there Is
the Dahoon holly. or yaupon.' which
reaches a maximum height OF about
twenty-five feet and thrives in the low
woods of south Maryland and Virginia
and stretches 10 Florida.
In the woods Of the District oil CO.
lumbia and nearby one finds the swamp
or meadow holly. a deciduous tree the
flowers of which unfold with the leaves
III May and which is sometimes called
- the country people ''bear-berrE, or
possum haw." Also one meets with the
emetic holly. OF Hex vomitoria, d small
evergreen tree having its habitat in low
woods. This tree attracted a good deal
81 notice from early explorers III Amer
lea from the habit of the Indians in
using decoction made from the leaves
as a spring medicine For this purpose
they also drank liquor made from the
leaves of the Dahoon holly 1t Is
recorded III Sargents silva of North
America that The Indians of the south
eru part of the country formerly visited
the coast in large numbers every spring
for the purpose of drinking an infusion
OF the leaves OF the yaupon. which are
emetic and purgative. This was the
black draught'' of the Indians which
many OF the early writers took
note of.
The American holly. because OF It's re-
sembance to the familiar holly of Eu-
ropean gardens. attracted the attention
OF many OF the early voyagers To these
shores. This holly was observed and
mentioned in writing by the party of
French Protestants who landed at the
mouth OF the ST. Johns river. Florida
about 1864. under the leadership of Lou
donniere. According to Alton. the botani-
cal observer and author. the American
holly was first cultivated in Europe in
I144 by the Duke of Argyll. That gen.
tieman was Archibald Campbell, third
Duke of Argyll. He was born in 1854
and died in 1861. He has been described
as the most assiduous collector of plants
and exotic trees of his time He was
Horace Walpoie's Tree Monger" Many
Of the trees planted in the grounds OF
his villa of Whitton, near Houuslow
were. after his death. removed to the