Saturday, December 20, 2008

Holly Dovewood

Alchornea ilicifolia
Family: EUPHORBIACEAE
An internet search told me that no fewer than 17 Australian native plants have been given the common name “native holly”, despite being unrelated to the well-known Christmas decoration species, English holly Ilex aquifolium. We sometimes see English holly grown in gardens here, but it is disappointing as a Christmas decoration as it produces its berries in winter. The leaves and fruits are both toxic to children, and altogether it seems to be a plant that Australians could give the go-by.
There is a genuine Australian holly, Ilex arnhemensis, which grows in the Northern territory. As its leaves are very ordinary-looking, with no hint of the toothy edges which give the other “native hollies” their nicknames, it’s never been suggested as a native Christmas decoration.
Sprigs of our own local holly dovewoods, however, are one of the best substitutes for the “real thing”. The tough leathery leaves keep well, looking good for at least four days without water (though the fresh new leaves wilt sooner than that).
As garden plants they are more attractive than English holly, their new leaves ornamenting the plants with lovely shades of bronze. They lack the red fruits, though. The green seed-capsules (found on female plants only) ripen to brown.
When young, holly dovewood makes a good indoor plant. Like most of our dry rainforest plants it can be trained in the shape of a small tree, suitable for a suburban garden. It is best grown as a shrub, however, where it needs only occasional pruning to keep it as a dense, bird-sheltering screen. The leaves are mildly prickly, so it is also suitable as a border hedge where you might want to discourage intruders.
This is a drought-hardy plant which can be grown in full sun or bright shade. It does appreciate shelter from heavy frosts in its first few years. (It seems to survive them, but can look a bit bedraggled from frost-burn.)
The story is told that the plant has white latex, which could result in eye damage to careless humans. Being a cautious sort of person, I included a warning about it in my book (“Toowoomba Plants Vol 1") despite having being unable to find any sign of latex in my own plants. It can be difficult to get latex from some known latex-producing plants when they are drought affected, so I assumed that this was the reason. However, despite the good season I am still unable to find any sign of white latex, and now suspect that this is an example of the sort of factual error that does get made about of our local native plants, simply because they are little grown and poorly known. If any readers can contradict me, I would be delighted to hear from them!

4 comments:

Judy H M said...

Trish
I am so glad that I found your website..still reading..great stuff!
Judy

Patricia Gardner said...

Kind of you to say so, Judy.
Cheers,
Trish

Jenny said...

I've come to your information about "native holly" 10 years later Trish but appreciate the Christmas theme! Your name "Holly Dovewood" is perhaps more helpful, but why the "Dovewood" as I have seen elsewhere? I've been looking for info on Alchornea ilicifolia because of Karl Gercens who has A LOT of plant photos on his website - he is a keen photographer horticulturalist who travels the world. He did a lovely album (December 2011) on our Lilian Fraser Garden at Pennant Hills NSW which I helped look after for many years along with other locals. Dr Lilian Fraser gifted her home property to the people to enjoy (through Hornsby Shire Council) but it has not been easy to look after being quite a "botanical" garden on such a small corner site (Bellamy &Laurence Sts). However-getting back to Karl-I've just realised that the beautiful photo he took of the garden's Holly Fuschia (Graptophyllum ilicifolia) in flower, he has named Alchornea ilicifolia which it definitely isn't as I've just learnt that has insignificant cream/green flowers while ours has gorgeous bright red flowers as his photo shows. Unfortunately I can't manage to get back to the Garden album to let him know. By the way, you didn't suggest the "native fuschia" for Christmas holly. . .

Patricia Gardner said...

Hello Jenny.
For other readers: having looked up Hornsby (didn't have a clue where it was - in Australia, somewhere else?) I have discovered it is in Sydney. That does help me to know what sort of botanical garden you might have there, Jenny.
I am so aware that for the majority of Australians, the use by plant enthusiasts of botanical names is a real turn-off. You see their eyes getting that stunned mullet look, as they relegate Aussie plant knowledge to the too-hard basket. So I am very keen to join the trend to popularise unique common names for some of our better plants. I find that people only start wanting to know botanical names once they have a core of native plant knowledge to give them confidence.
I once looked up how many different Australian species went under the name "native holly" and I think I found 16 (which didn't include our native Ilex species!) As a name for popularising anything, it's confusing and not really useful, as you found with the case of the Graptophyllum and Alchornea.
I invented the name "holly dovewood", based on the appearance of the leaves, and the fact that some overseas Alchornea are called dovewoods. It seems to be gaining popularity, which tells me that you and I are not the only people being irritated by the lack of practical common names. I think we plant lovers should be showing a bit more initiative and inventing, where there is a need!
I didn't suggest Graptophyllum for the Christmas holly because the topic of my blog is native plants of the Toowoomba region, and none of the Graptophyllums grow here.
Incidentally I don't like "native fuschia" as a common name either. Australia-wide, a native holly could be a Graptophyllum, an Eremophila 9which is what we'd expect here), a Correa (they'd expect that in South Australia), and Epacris, a Grevillea, or something else? I'm rather in favour of popularising common names which can be unambiguously understood all over the country.
I am also a bit against the using of the names of well-known exotic garden plants, with the attachment of the adjective "native" when our own native is actually a different genus, usually with its won special beauty. It suggests that somehow our own plants are poor substitutes for the "real thing".
That said, I do use Alchornea as a substitute for Ilex, at Christmas. (Does that make me a hypocrite?) Graptophyllum leaves don't seem very Ilex-like to me.
Glad to hear you are working on what sounds like a rather special little botanical garden. It would be a shame to lose such a thing.
Cheers,
Trish