trees and shrubs, bark more or less smooth. 3 genera: Ilex, Nemophantus and Phelline. Phelline is sometimes considered to be in it's own familiy Phellinaceae
Distribution
Tropical and temperate regions. In South-America typically montane. Nemophantus only in the north-east of North-America, Phelline only New Caledonia. Characteristic of acid soils
Floral characters
axilary, sometimes reduced to solitary flower. Usually unisexuall, dioecious, radial. Petals and Sepals 4-6, slightly connate, Petals imbricate. Stames 4-6, adnate to base of corolla. Pollen grains 3-4. Pistillode conspicous in male flower. Carpels 4-6, connate, ovary superior. Style is short or lacking. Stigma is discoid or slightly lobed. Staminodes conspicous in female flower. Nectaries lacking, or as swellings on adaxial surface of petals.
Leaf characters
leaves simple, usually conspicuously coriaceous leaves; often with characteristic but not very obvious faint blackish tracing of tertiary venation below; margin often serrate (sometimes spiny-serrate), usually at least inconspicously serrulate; undersurface usually light green with minute blackish punctation-like dots (might be confused with Myrsinaceae) bark slash always white and nondescript except for a very characteristic thin greenish outer layer
Stipules
present, minute (absent on Phellina spp.)
Fruit characters
Colorful (red, orange-red, purple-black ot pink), Drupe with conspicious stigmatic zone
Glands
absent
Hairs
present, simple
Latex
absent
Uses
Ilex paraguensis (Mate tea, among other 20 species), many species used for timber. Ilex aquifolium as ornamentals (berries and leaves: highly toxic)
Chemical characters
Alcaloids, Caffeine, ursolic acid, Rutin
Distribution maps
(online von http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/ . Dort zitiert wie unter jedem Diagramm vermerkt):
