Holly | Ilex aquifolium

Holly is a native tree or shrub in the Netherlands. It is the only evergreen deciduous tree in the Netherlands and therefore unique.

Holly occurs as undergrowth of oak and beech forests in the middle and east of the country. But they also occur in wooded banks and thickets. There are male and female plants. The native holly blooms on the old growth.

The tree, which is about 8 to 10 meters high, grows slowly. It does not have a preference for damp or dry soils, nor for soils that are poor or rich in nutrition. They tolerate shade well.

The leaves are typical of the holly. The leaves have spines up to a few meters above the ground, but not above that. It seems that the tree protects itself against feeding animals. Whether that is true is questionable, because parts of the plant are poisonous.

The wood can be used in the furniture industry, but more important are the berries. At Christmas, the branches with berries are sold as decoration. The fact that there are still berries on it is because the birds do not like these berries. So they hang around until all the other food is gone.

This tree is located in the old cemetery. It is open to the public on weekdays from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM.