Aquifoliaceae
Ilex L.
Kingdom: Plantae Rank: Genus Parent: Aquifoliaceae Status: Valid
Morphological Description
Diagnosis: Trees to 25 m tall, or shrubs, dioecious. Leaves simple, alternate; the lamina weakly coriaceous, often drying dark brown to nearly black, sometimes with conspicuous dark puncations on the abaxial surface; the margins entire, dentate, to serrate. Inflorescences axillary or ramiflorous, fasciculate, racemose cymes. Flowers actinomorphic, unisexual, usually 4-merous; the sepals valvate, weakly connate at the base; the petals imbricate, white to yellowish; the base sometimes forming a tube from connate petal bases; the stamens alternate with petals; the gynoecium syncarpous, ovary superior, locule 1 per carpel, style terminal, reduced or absent; staminodes present in pistillate flowers and pistillodes present in staminate flowers. Fruit a drupe. Seeds small, 1-20 per fruit, the endosperm abundant, entire.