Holly is an evergreen tree or shrub which has hard, shiny leaves with sharp points, and red berries in winter. Any of approximately 400 species of red-or black-berried ornamental shrubs and trees that make up the genus Ilex (family Aquifoliaceae), including the popular Christmas hollies. English holly (I. aquifolium) bears shiny, spiny, dark, evergreen leaves; American holly (I. opaca) has oblong, prickly leaves; both have usually red fruits. There are spineless and yellow-fruited forms of both species
The European species (Ilex Aquifolium) is best known, having glossy green leaves, with a spiny, waved edge, and bearing berries that turn red or yellow about Michaelmas
United States rock star (1936-1959) any tree or shrub of the genus Ilex having red berries and shiny evergreen leaves with prickly edges
any tree or shrub of the genus Ilex having red berries and shiny evergreen leaves with prickly edges
Holly grown around a house has long been believed to keep out evil It was also held to protect against the evil eye and storms It was also a protection against witches According to William Henderson's Folk-Lore of the Northern Counties witches hate holly because "its name is but another form of the word holy, and its thorny foliage and blood-red berries are suggestive of the most sacred Christian associations "