Holly Wood
Description/Overview: Holly Wood (Ilex opaca) is a luxurious wood species, prized for its fine, even grain and creamy, pale color. Its hard, heavy, and dense texture, with a Janka hardness rating of 1,020 lbf, makes it an ideal choice for crafting contemporary, modern, and luxury built humidors. Holly Wood is also popular for its excellent bending and turning properties, making it a favored choice for carving and inlay work, adding a touch of elegance to any woodworking project.
Origin: Eastern United States
Names: Ilex opaca, American Holly, White Holly, and Christmas Holly
Color: Known for its white to ivory colors
Properties: Prized for its fine texture and a uniform, straight grain pattern. Holly is also known for its lack of pores, making it ideal for use in applications where a smooth surface is desirable.
Additional Info: In addition to its use in fine woodworking, Holly Wood is also valued for its association with Christmas and winter holidays. The bright red berries of the female Holly tree are a traditional decoration during the festive season. Holly Wood is also known by several other names, including American Holly, White Holly, and Christmas Holly.
Fun Facts:
Holly trees can live up to 300 years old.
Holly is dioecious, meaning there are separate male and female trees.
Holly Wood was once used to make high-quality shuttlecocks for badminton.
The bright red berries on female holly trees are not edible for humans, but they are an important food source for many bird species.
Holly Wood is one of the hardest and densest of all native American woods.
The leaves of the Holly tree are often used in tea to treat fever and respiratory ailments.
Holly Wood is commonly used for inlay work and turnery.
Holly is a popular plant in landscaping, often used for hedges and privacy screens.
Holly leaves are evergreen, meaning they stay green all year round.
Holly is also grown commercially for use in wreaths and other holiday decorations.
Holly wood is used to make fine furniture, turning, carving, and inlay work.
Holly wood is considered a luxury wood due to its fine grain and creamy color.
Holly wood is heavy and hard, with a high Janka hardness rating.
Holly wood is resistant to decay and insect damage, making it an ideal choice for humidors.
Holly has been used in traditional medicine to treat fevers, rheumatism, and other ailments.
The famous British Christmas carol "The Holly and the Ivy" references the holly tree's association with the holiday season.
Holly wood has a high polishability and takes on a fine finish, perfect for contemporary and modern humidors.
Holly Wood is often used in the production of piano keys and other musical instruments.
Holly is used in landscaping to attract wildlife, as the tree provides shelter and food for many animals.
Holly Wood is the state tree of Delaware.
The scientific name for holly, Ilex, comes from the Latin word ilex, meaning "holm oak," a similar-looking tree species in Europe.
