''Parthenocissus quinquefolia'', known as Virginia creeper, Victoria creeper, five-leaved ivy, or five-finger, is a species of flowering vine in the grape family, Vitaceae. It is native to eastern and central North America, from southeastern Canada and the eastern United States west to Manitoba and Utah, and south to eastern Mexico and Guatemala.

Etymology

"Parthenocissus" is derived from Greek and means "virgin ivy".Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. (hardback), (paperback). pp 292, 324 "Quinquefolia" means "five-leaved". "Quinque" – "five" and "folia" – "foliage", "leaves".

Names

The name "Virginia creeper", referring to one of its native locations, is also used for the whole genus '' Parthenocissus'', and for other species within the genus. The name ''Parthenocissus'' is from the Greek literally meaning "virgin ivy", and may derive from the common English name of this species. It is not closely related to the true ivy, '' Hedera''. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''quinquefolia'' means "five-leaved", referring to the leaflets on each compound (palmate) leaf. This plant is also known in North America as woodbine, although woodbine can refer to other plant species.

Description

''Parthenocissus quinquefolia'' is a prolific deciduous climber, reaching heights of in the wild. It climbs smooth surfaces using small forked tendrils tipped with small strongly adhesive pads in size.

Leaves

The leaves are

palmately compound A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...

, composed of five leaflets (rarely three leaflets, particularly on younger vines, and sometimes seven) joined from a central point on the leafstalk, and range from (rarely to ) across. The leaflets have a toothed margin. Seedlings have heart-shaped cotyledon leaves. The species is often confused with '' P. vitacea'' or "False Virginia creeper", which has the same leaves, but does not have the adhesive pads at the end of its tendrils. It is sometimes mistaken for '' Toxicodendron radicans'' (poison ivy), despite having five leaflets (poison ivy has three). While the leaves of ''P. quinquefolia'' do not produce urushiol, the sap within the leaves and stem contains raphides (needle-shaped crystals of

calcium oxalate Calcium oxalate (in archaic terminology, oxalate of lime) is a calcium salt of oxalic acid with the chemical formula . It forms hydrates , where ''n'' varies from 1 to 3. Anhydrous and all hydrated forms are colorless or white. The monohydrate ...

) which can puncture the skin causing irritation and blisters in sensitive people. The leaves sometimes turn a decorative bright red in the fall.

Flowers and berries

The flowers are small and greenish, produced in inconspicuous clusters in late spring, and mature in late summer or early fall into small hard purplish-black berries diameter. These berries contain toxic amounts of

oxalic acid Oxalic acid is an organic acid with the systematic name ethanedioic acid and formula . It is the simplest dicarboxylic acid. It is a white crystalline solid that forms a colorless solution in water. Its name comes from the fact that early inve ...

and have been known to cause kidney damage and death to humans. The berries are not toxic to birds and provide an important winter food source for many bird species.

Cultivation and uses

''Parthenocissus quinquefolia'' is grown as an ornamental plant, because of its ability to rapidly cover walls and buildings, and its deep red to

burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...

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. In the UK, this plant is listed on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as an invasive non-native species. While this does not prevent it from being sold in the UK, or from being grown in gardens, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) encourages those that do grow it to take great care with managing it and with disposing of unwanted material. The RHS also encourages gardeners to find alternative plants to grow to those listed on Schedule 9. ''Parthenocissus quinquefolia'' can be used as a shading vine for buildings on masonry walls. Because the vine, like its relative '' P. tricuspidata'' (Boston ivy), adheres to the surface by disks rather than penetrating roots, it does not harm the masonry but will keep a building cooler by shading the wall surface during the summer. As with ivy, ripping the plant from the wall will leave the adhesive disks behind. If the plant clings to fragile surfaces it can first be killed by severing the vine from the root. The adhesive pads will then eventually deteriorate and release their grip. The plant should be trimmed regularly to keep it from growing into areas where it is not wanted. If allowed to penetrate into the wall of a frame house, it will grow upward within the wall until it finds a place to emerge. The roots can penetrate a rock foundation and grow into the basement of an old house, extending long distances in search of moisture, and growing into floor cracks or drains.

Gallery

Image:Parthenocissus quinquefolia20110704 003.jpg, Flower Image:Parthenocissus quinquefolia on wall, November 1, 2008.jpg, Berries after the leaves have dropped in autumn File:Parthenocissus quinquefolia seedling.jpg, Seedling with heart-shaped cotyledon leaves Image:Parthenocissus_quinquefolia_Leaf.jpg, Emerging leaf in spring File:TreeVine.JPG, Thick vine File:Virginiacreepertendril.jpg, Tendrils beginning to twine around a metal trellis File:Kisus.JPG, Fall color Image:6370VirginiaCreeper.jpg, Fall color Cissus sicyoides.JPG, Climbing a building wall Bad Dürkheim Schlossgartenstraße 2 001 2020 10 20.jpg, Covering a building Parthenocissus quinquefoliar Ireland (2).jpg, Covering a wall Parthenocissus quinquefolia London 1.jpg, Covering a fence in London Marienthal (Ahr) - Ruine der Klosterkirche.jpg, Covering a German ruin Parthenocissus quinquefolia.jpg, Trailing from fence to an apartment block

References

External links

CABI's Invasive Species Compendium
at

Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International CABI (legally CAB International, formerly Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux) is a nonprofit intergovernmental development and information organisation focusing primarily on agricultural and environmental issues in the developing world, and th ...

In USDA Plant Database

Images at
Vanderbilt University website * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q157968 Flora of North America Medicinal plants quinquefolia Vines Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus