Holly is an evergreen tree that mostly grows in oak or beech woods taking a variety of forms including a bushy shrub, a clean stem with a bushy head, or a slender pyramid. Leaves are dark green, glossy and spiny. Holly trees are either male or female, with the female tree producing the famous red berries in autumn.
Thrushes and blackbirds love the berries though they are poisonous to humans. The bark is smooth and silvery-grey with occasional dark markings caused by lichen growth. Holly timber is very hard and is used for marquetry, turning and making printing blocks.
Holly
