Holly is an evergreen shrub with prickly leaves and bright red berries, and is traditionally associated with Christmas, with the leaves representing Christ's crown of thorns, and the berries the drops of blood. The male and female flowers are on separate plants (dioecious), thus only the female shrubs bear berries. The flowers are small and white, with the male flower having 4 stamens and the female flower 4 carpels.
The leaves are mostly prickly to deter grazing, but higher up the tree they are often smooth-sided, with just a single point at the tip. The plant is susceptible to the holly leaf miner fly, which lays its eggs on the leaves: the larvae feed on the leaf tissue, resulting in yellowish patches.

Male flowers (4 stamens)		Female flowers (4 carpels)

Leaves with and without prickles		Leaf miner damage