Quercus ilex, the Holm Oak or Holly Oak is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region. It takes its name from holm, an ancient name for holly. It is known by the names azinheira in Portuguese, encina in Spanish, carrasca in Aragonese, or alzina in Catalan, PIRNAL MEŞESİ in Turkish,, česvina in Croatian, črničevje in Slovenian, is-siġra tal-ballut in Maltese, sindiyānah (سِنْدِيَانَة) in Arabic and chêne vert or yeuse in French. In Provence it is commonly known as l'eouvé. It is a member of the white oak section of the genus, with acorns that mature in a single summer. It was first Introduced to the United Kingdom in the 17th century. The first trees to be planted from acorns in the United Kingdom are still to be found growing within the stately grounds of Mamhead Park, Devon. They are uncommonly fine examples and several of these trees are ten feet in circumference, at three feet from the ground; and one of them measures thirteen feet six inches in circumference.

Quercus ilex is a medium-size tree 20–27 m tall with finely square-fissured blackish bark and leathery evergreen leaves. The old leaves fall 1–2 years after new leaves emerge. The leaves are dark green above and pale whitish-grey with dense short hairs below. The leaf shape is variable, the adult leaves are entire, 4–8 cm long and 1–3 cm broad, while those on the lower branches of young trees are often larger (to 10 cm long), and are toothed or somewhat spiny - possibly as protection from grazing animals. In this, the foliage resembles that of the common European Holly Ilex aquifolium, and this resemblance has led to its common and botanic names. The name ilex is originally the classical Latin name for the Holm Oak, but was later also used as a botanical genus name for the hollies. The flowers are catkins, produced in the spring; the fruit is an acorn, which matures in about six months.

Mahmoud Darwish (Arabic: محمود درويش‎) (13 March 1941 – 9 August 2008) was a Palestinian poet and author who won numerous awards for his literary output and was regarded as the Palestinian national poet. In his work, Palestine became a metaphor for the loss of Eden, birth and resurrection, and the anguish of dispossession and exile.

Darwish was born in the village of al-Birwa in the Western Galilee. He was the second child of Salim and Houreyyah Darwish. His family were landowners. His mother was illiterate, but his grandfather taught him to read. After Israeli forces assaulted his village of al-Birwa in June 1948 the family fled to Lebanon first in Jezzin and then in Damour. The village was then razed and destroyed by the Israeli army to prevent its inhabitants from returning to their homes inside the new Jewish state. A year later, Darwish's family returned to the Acre area, which was now part of Israel, and settled in Deir al-Asad. Darwish attended high school in Kafr Yasif, two kilometers north of Jadeidi. He eventually moved to Haifa.

Tony Kirkham (born 30 August 1957) is the head Arboretum at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where he has worked since 1978.

Tony started his career as an apprentice at Tilhill Forestry Nursery in Frensham in 1974. In 1976 he attended Merrist Wood Agricultural College where he gained his NCH in Arboriculture and the RFS Certificate in Arb. He worked in Germany as a climber for Kusche und Frotscher based in Hamburg. In 1978 he started at Kew as a Diploma student for 3 years where he gained the Kew diploma at honours. In 1981 he was appointed manager of the North Arboretum from where he progressed to become Head of the Arboretum and Horticultural Services in 2001.

In 1985 he was a member of an expedition to Chile collecting seeds for the collections in the arboretum at Kew. Since the destruction of many of Kew's oldest trees in the Great Storm of 1987 he has spearheaded the restocking of the collection. In some instance using specimens collected on collecting trips to the far east. Countries visited include: China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, the Russian far east and Sakhalin Island.