"Hollywood"

Over a hundred years ago, the name "Hollywoodland" was given to a hillside area in Los Angeles. Later it was shortened to "Hollywood." The reason is that the hills looked like they were covered with holly plants in the winter. Holly grows in snowy places and it has red berries in the winter time.

The plants on the hills were not holly at all. These big bushes are called Toyon. Toyon grows very well in southern California. They need little or no care. These pictures are from the Toyon growing on my back slope. I had to water it a little when it was tiny, but now, it just grows on its own. It just needs rain water. They can keep water inside because the leaves and branches are sort of waxy. The plant is also resistant to fires. Hopefully, more people will find out about this plant and use it in their landscaping.

Toyon has beautiful red berries in the winter. Birds love to eat them! Before the Europeans arrived in Orange County, tribal people had many uses for the berries, leaves, and branches. The berries are edible. (ONLY TRY BERRIES FROM ANY PLANT WITH PERMISSION FROM AN ADULT!! YOU MAY BE ALLERGIC OR SENSITIVE!! THE BERRIES MAY BE POISONOUS!!) Toyon berries can be roasted and eaten, or eaten raw, or mixed with water and honey and made into a beverage. The leaves were used for tea which helped with stomach aches. The bark and leaves could be boiled, cooled, and used like Bactine. The wood was used for many things including arrows, spoons, and hair pins.
What would you make out of the branches?

So now, when you hear people mention movies made in Hollywood, you can tell them how the city got its name. If you could rename the place where you live, what would you call it?

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