Ilex rotunda seed
LATIN NAME: ILEX ROTUNDA
COMMON NAME: Round-leaved Holly
In the evergreen woods and the village groves of the east, the round-leaved holly grows as a tall, shapely, evergreen tree with the oval, glossy, spineless, dark-green leaves and the small, white flowers in the leaf axils, the female trees carrying the dense clusters of bright-red berries that hold through the winter. It steadily establishes a rounded crown, eventually 5-10 metres tall. It is content in the sun or the part shade and the rich, moist ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The round-leaved holly appears in the studies of the evergreen hollies of the east, its spineless leaves and its winter-red berries keeping it in view in the work on the ornamental trees of the temple groves and the bird-feeding trees of the mild garden. The research looks at the way the glossy leaves hold the winter green, the red berries persist after the frosts, and the seed biology of the hard, slow seeds.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
In the winter garden, the round-leaved holly stands glossy and evergreen with the bright-red berries that feed the thrushes through the cold months. The neat, conical form has graced the temple grounds of the east for centuries, and the tree makes the fine specimen, the winter-berry tree and the evergreen of the open garden. It is a tree for the sunny, open, deep and well-drained place.
To grow the Round-leaved Holly from seed, clean the seeds from the coral-red berries and give them a cool, moist spell.
Clean the seeds from the coral-red berries and give them a cool, moist spell, and keep the young hollies in the open, sunny spot. The red berries hold through the winter.
LATIN NAME: Ilex rotunda
COMMON NAME: Kurogane Holly, Round-Leaved Holly
The Kurogane holly is a handsome and stately evergreen of the eastern Asian forests, and its glossy, dark-green foliage and its fine, upright form have made it a valued tree of the garden and the avenue. The species develops an upright, columnar form, around sixty centimetres high. It is a species of the holly family, native to the eastern Asia, where it is found in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam, and its natural habitat is in the evergreen broadleaf forests, often in the sunny areas such as the forest edges or on the mountain slopes.
The Kurogane holly belongs to the holly family, Aquifoliaceae, and it is an evergreen tree, native to the eastern Asia, where it is found in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam. It is commonly called the Kurogane holly, and its natural habitat is in the evergreen broadleaf forests, often in the sunny areas such as the forest edges or on the mountain slopes, while it is prized for its glossy foliage and its fine, upright form.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The Kurogane holly has a genuine and growing place in both horticultural and ecological research. It has been studied in horticulture, since it is a handsome and stately evergreen of the garden and the avenue, prized for its glossy foliage and its fine, upright form, and researchers have examined its cultivation, its growth and its value in the landscape, while its use as a street tree and in the hedges and the topiary has been examined, and the glossy, spine-free foliage of the tree has drawn attention in the international gardening press as a fine evergreen of the garden. The tree has also been studied in ecology, since it is a native of the evergreen broadleaf forests, and researchers have examined its growth, its role in the forest community and its value to the wildlife, while the berries of the tree feed the birds of the forest, and the study of the eastern Asian forests and their trees has been of continuing interest. The species has also been studied in botany, since it is a member of the holly family, and its classification and its relationships have been examined. For a tree of such handsomeness, the Kurogane holly has a steady and growing record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the Kurogane holly is a handsome tree of the eastern Asian forests. Its glossy crown gives shelter, and its small, round berries feed the birds, while it is a stately presence in the evergreen broadleaf forests and the forest edges of its home.
Its economic value is real. It is a valued tree of the garden, the park and the avenue, prized for its glossy foliage and its fine, upright form, and it has drawn attention in the international gardening press as a fine evergreen of the garden, while it is also used in the hedges and the topiary. For a grower, the Kurogane holly is a rewarding and stately tree, and for a gardener it brings glossy, dark foliage and a fine, upright form. The seeds need a spell of cold and a little patience — keep them in damp compost in the fridge for about three months, then sow them in a pot of moist, gritty, free-draining compost in a sunny or lightly shaded spot, and theyll sprout slowly, growing on into a handsome, glossy-leaved tree.
Ilex rotunda (Kurogane holly or round leaf holly) is a smooth evergreen tree from the holly genus, reaching 18 m at maturity (although 20 m is also reported). It has spineless leaves and clusters of bright-red berries.
Kurogane holly was first described in 1784 by Carl Peter Thunberg, from species growing in Japan. It was first introduced to gardens of the New World through collections sent by Robert Fortune.
The tree blossoms in April and the seeds become ripe from October to December. The flowers are dioecious. The fruits contain flavonols. In Japan, kurogane holly is one of the hibakujumoku trees. It is also the official tree of several Japanese municipalities.
Ilex koshunensis Yamamoto; I. microcarpa Lindley & Paxton; I. rotunda var. microcarpa (Lindley & Paxton) S. Y. Hu; ?I. rotunda var. sinensis Masamune; I. sasakii Yamamoto; I. unicanaliculata C. J. Tseng.