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Hedera colchica
Also called Persian Ivy, Fragrant Ivy
Colchis ivy (Hedera colchica) is a vigorous evergreen climber from the Caucasus and northern Türkiye, with the largest leaves of any ivy. It grows best with its roots in cool shade and its top in sun, and it is very adaptable.
Hedera colchica is a species of flowering plant in the family Araliaceae . It is native to the Middle East and commonly called Persian ivy or colchis ivy. It is an evergreen climbing plant, growing to 30 m high where suitable surfaces (trees, cliffs, walls) are available, and also growing as ground cover where there are no vertical surfaces. It climbs by means of aerial rootlets which cling to the substrate. In warm climates, it grows more rapidly and becomes established faster than other Hedera species.
It is a woody evergreen climbing shrub, which can grow in a range of conditions. It prefers well-drained or alkaline soils rich in nutrients and humus with good water provision, but is extremely tough and adaptable. Like many climbing plants, it prefers its roots in cool shade with its crown in full sun. It can live over 400 years, reaching heights of 30m where suitable surfaces (trees, cliffs, walls) are available. It climbs by means of aerial rootlets with matted pads that cling strongly to the substrate. Its favoured distribution is humid microclimates, such as cloud forest, stream valleys, and the mountain ranges on the Turkish coast of the Black Sea, Asia minor, the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and some islands of the Red Sea.
Algerian Ivy · Azores Ivy · Canary Ivy · Hedera crebrescens · Hedera cypria · Common Ivy · Atlantic Ivy · Hedera iberica · Hedera maderensis · Hedera maroccana · Himalayan Ivy · Persian Ivy
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Hedera colchica by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
