双语阅读｜为什么我们在圣诞节用冬青树装饰？(7)

冬青树可以是常绿的，这意味着这种植物有光泽的叶子一年四季都在树上，也可以是落叶的，这意味着树叶会随季节掉落。大多数冬青是常绿植物，可以在阳光下或阴凉处茁壮成长，并受益于排水良好的土壤。叶片的特征是蜡质和锯齿边缘，是雌雄异株，有雄性和雌性生殖结构可以在不同的植物上找到。雄冬青(雄花)和雌冬青(雌花)都在5月或6月开放，开白色的花。但只有雌性能结出浆果。为了使这种生产发生，雄性植物必须靠近雌性植物，以便授粉过程发生。昆虫，比如蜜蜂，帮助雌花冬青异花授粉，将花粉从雄花转移到雌花。
Like its holiday companion, mistletoe, a holly"s berries are toxic to humans, resulting in nausea and severe stomachaches when ingested. Not so for some animals. Berries are a vital source of food for birds such as thrushes and blackbirds. Holly berries, which ripen in early winter, typically contain four seeds each. The birds that eat these seeds help scatter them for germination, the growth of new holly plants.
就像它的假日伴侣槲寄生一样，冬青的浆果对人类是有毒的，摄入后会导致恶心和严重的胃痛。但有些动物却不是这样。浆果是画眉和黑鹂等鸟类的重要食物来源。冬青浆果在初冬成熟，通常每颗含有四颗种子。鸟类吃了这些种子，帮助它们发芽，生长新的冬青植物。
­Although the scarlet berries are famously prominent in homes for the holiday season, they"re not the only useful part of hollies. The berries are poisonous, but the green leaves have been used in herbal remedies for centuries for various medical conditions like dizziness, fever and hypertension, though there is little medical proof of the plant"s effectiveness. Holly wood is hard and compact, making it excellent for carving; it"s sometimes used to make chess pieces and walking sticks. And while the berries provide nourishment for birds, a holly"s bark can be used to make a sticky substance called birdlime, used for trapping birds. Birdlime, which can be made by boiling holly bark for several hours, is illegal in many countries and viewed as inhumane.