Featured Plant Species: English Holly

 

In the southwestern corner of BC, English holly (Ilex aquifolium)--a common Christmas decoration--has moved into the woods and is now present in most of our urban or near-urban 'woods' as a result of dispersal by birds.  A walk through local parks can often turn up seedlings, saplings and trees.  It is a hardy species that is tolerant of moist conditions and, where it invades, becomes part of the site ecology. 

English holly is a broad-leaf evergreen species that is native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest Asia, including the UK (exclusive of northern Scotland) (Wikipedia 2013, Kew 2013).  Kew reports it as one of the 'few native evergreen trees in Britain'.  In BC, English holly is grown on holly farms on Vancouver Island and is commonly found in gardens.

Visit our atlas page on English Holly.
Read more about English holly here (Kew Royal Botanical Gardens).