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Common Name: Horned Holly

General Information

Ilex cornuta is an evergreen shrub that can grow up to 4.00 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine

Known Hazards

Although no specific reports of toxicity have been seen for this species, the fruits of at least some members of this genus contain saponins and are slightly toxic. They can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and stupor if eaten in quantity[].
Although poisonous, saponins also have a range of medicinal applications and many saponin-rich plants are used in herbalism (particularly as emetics, expectorants and febrifuges) or as sources of raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry. Saponins are also found in a number of common foods, such as many beans.
Saponins have a quite bitter flavour and are in general poorly absorbed by the human body, so most pass through without harm. They can be removed by carefully leaching in running water. Thorough cooking, and perhaps changing the cooking water once, will also normally remove most of them. However, it is not advisable to eat large quantities of raw foods that contain saponins.
Saponins are much more toxic to many cold-blooded creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish and make them easy to catch[].

Botanical References

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Range

E. Asia - E. China, Korea.

Habitat

Ravines and hills, 150 - 600 metres[]. Wild places and alongside mountain paths in full sunshine[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	4.00 m
Pollinators	Bees
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in most soils that are not water-logged[].
Plants are hardy to about -15°c[].
Resents root disturbance, especially as the plants get older[]. It is best to place the plants into their permanent positions as soon as possible, perhaps giving some winter protection for their first year or two[].
Plants are very tolerant of pruning and can be cut right back into old wood if required[].
A number of named forms have been developed for their ornamental value[].
A dioecious species - both male and female forms must be grown if fruit and seed are required.

Edible Uses

The fruit is thin-skinned with a sweet taste[]. Is this report suggesting that it is edible?[].The fruit is about 8 - 10mm in diameter[].

Medicinal

The whole plant is abortifacient, carminative, contraceptive, febrifuge and tonic[, ]. It particularly strengthens the back and knees[].
The leaf is made into a tea which is said to be contraceptive if used by women and is also used for termination pregnancies[].
The stem bark is tonic[].
The whole plant is used in the treatment of arthritis, recurring fever in pulmonary tuberculosis, tubercular lymph nodes, joint pained and lumbago[, ].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame. It can take 18 months to germinate. Stored seed generally requires two winters and a summer before it will germinate and should be sown as soon as possible in a cold frame. Scarification, followed by a warm stratification and then a cold stratification may speed up the germination time[, ]. The seedlings are rather slow-growing. Pot them up into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame for their first year. It is possible to plant them out into a nursery bed in late spring of the following year, but they should not be left here for more than two years since they do not like being transplanted. Alternatively, grow them on in their pots for a second season and then plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. Give them a good mulch and some protection for their first winter outdoors.
Cuttings of almost ripe wood with a heel, August in a shaded position in a cold frame. Leave for 12 months before potting up.
Layering in early autumn. Takes 2 years.