Ilex

...A small evergreen tree of the Ilex family that bears red berries (illustration). High-quality bird berries are harvested from the bark, and the tree is trimmed and planted in the garden. It reaches a height of 15m and a diameter of 50cm, and branches densely. The bark of the trunk is grayish-white with a brownish tinge. The leaves are alternate, oblong, 4-8cm long, leathery, and have a deep green surface. It is dioecious, and in April, bunches of small pale yellow-green flowers appear in the axils of the previous year's branches, each with four flat petals. There are four stamens. In late autumn, the spherical drupes, about 1cm in diameter, ripen red and are a favorite food of small birds. ...

*Some of the terminology that mentions "Ilex" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…赤い実のなるモチノキ科の常緑小高木（イラスト）。樹皮から良質の鳥黐（とりもち）をとり，また樹形を整えて庭に植える。高さ15m，径50cmに達し，密に分枝する。幹の樹皮は灰白色で褐色を帯びる。葉は互生し，長楕円形で長さ4～8cm，革質で表面は深緑色を呈する。雌雄異株で，4月前年枝の葉腋（ようえき）に淡黄緑色の小さい花を束生し，各花は4枚の平開する花弁をもつ。おしべは4本。晩秋径1cmほどの球形の核果が赤く熟し，小鳥が好んで食べる。…

※「Ilex」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報