The LA Times’ Tree of the Week feature is pretty interesting
“Holm is an old English word for holly. Leaves, especially young ones, of this evergreen tree may have spiny pointed lobes and resemble holly leaves. At first glance this tree looks like our coast live oak, but it is denser, more grayish green, and it lacks the open grace of our native tree. Holly oak is one of more than 500 species of oaks occurring in the Northern Hemisphere. It is native to the Mediterranean Sea basin, where different populations valued it for distinctive reasons: The Romans made cartwheels and tools from the hard dense wood, the Greeks used the leaves in predicting the future and creating honorary crowns for people of distinction, and the Spaniards fed the acorns to their pigs. The tree has become naturalized in several areas where it was introduced, including along the West Coast.”
