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Winterberry. Black Alder

Ilex verticillata. Holly Family.

A shrub, common in low grounds. Leaves.--Oval or lance-shaped; pointed at apex and base; toothed. Flowers.--White; some perfect, others unisexual; clustered on very short flower-stalks in the axils of the leaves; appearing in May or June. Calyx.--Minute. Corolla.--Of four to six petals. Stamens.--Four to six. Pistil.--One. Fruit.--Coral-red; berry-like.

The year may draw nearly to its close without our attention being arrested by this shrub. But in September it is wellnigh impossible to stroll through the country lanes without pausing to admire the bright red berries clustered so thickly among the leaves of the black alder. The American holly, I. opaca, is closely related to this shrub, whose generic name is the ancient Latin title for the holly-oak.