(One member of the group, Schefflera arboricola, from Taiwan, commonly known as the dwarf umbrella tree, is often grown as a houseplant.) Trees in Schefflera, Feeley found, were practically hyperactive; they were racing up the ridge at the astonishing rate of nearly a hundred feet a year. On the opposite extreme were trees in the genus Ilex. These have alternate leaves that are usually glossy, with spiky or serrated edges. (The genus includes Ilex aquifolium, which is native to Europe and known to Americans as Christmas holly.) The trees in Ilex were like kids who spend recess sprawled out on
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