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Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Also called American Ivy, Five Leaved Ivy, Woodbine, Five Leaf Ivy, Five Leaved Virginia Creeper, Fiveleaved Ivy
Virginia creeper is a fast-growing, deciduous woody climber native to eastern North America, grown for its dense cover and brilliant red autumn foliage. It is best kept where its vigorous spread can be controlled, as it readily self-propagates and can smother other plants.
Parthenocissus quinquefolia, commonly known as Virginia creeper, woodbine, five-leaved ivy, or five-finger, is a species of flowering vine in the grape family Vitaceae.
The species is native to eastern and central North America, with its range extending from south-eastern Canada and the eastern United States, west to Manitoba and Utah, and as far south as eastern Mexico and Guatemala. It has been introduced globally and is considered an invasive species to varying degrees in the European Union, the United Kingdom, China, Australia, and Cuba.
Parthenocissus quinquefolia is grown as an ornamental plant, because of its ability to rapidly cover walls and buildings, and its deep red to burgundy fall (autumn) foliage. It can easily be propagated by stem cuttings taken in spring.
It is frequently seen covering telephone poles or trees. It may kill other plants it covers by shading its support and thus limiting the supporting plants' ability to photosynthesize. With its aggressive growth, it can overburden slower-growing understory trees with its weight, damaging them. Its ability to propagate via its extensive root system makes it difficult to eradicate.
Diverse Leaved Creeper · Silvervein creeper · Himalayan Woodbine · Japanese Creeper
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Parthenocissus quinquefolia 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.
