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''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of
evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...
climbing or ground-creeping
woody plant A woody plant is a plant that produces wood as its structural tissue and thus has a hard stem. In cold climates, woody plants further survive winter or dry season above ground, as opposite to herbaceous plants that die back to the ground until sp ...
s in the family
Araliaceae The Araliaceae are a family of flowering plants composed of about 43 genera and around 1500 species consisting of primarily woody plants and some herbaceous plants. The morphology of Araliaceae varies widely, but it is predominantly distinguisha ...
, native to western, central and southern
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
,
Macaronesia Macaronesia (Portuguese: ''Macaronésia,'' Spanish: ''Macaronesia'') is a collection of four volcanic archipelagos in the North Atlantic, off the coasts of Africa and Europe. Each archipelago is made up of a number of List of islands in the At ...
, northwestern
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
and across central-southern
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
east to
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
.


Description

On level ground they remain creeping, not exceeding 5–20 cm height, but on suitable surfaces for climbing, including
tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
s, natural
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
outcrop An outcrop or rocky outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock or ancient superficial deposits on the surface of the Earth. Features Outcrops do not cover the majority of the Earth's land surface because in most places the bedrock or superficial ...
s or man-made structures such as
quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envi ...
rock faces or built
masonry Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...
and
wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...
en structures, they can climb to at least 30 m above the ground. Ivies have two
leaf 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 ...
types, with
palmate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...
ly lobed juvenile leaves on creeping and climbing stems and unlobed cordate adult leaves on fertile flowering stems exposed to full sun, usually high in the crowns of trees or the tops of rock faces, from 2 m or more above ground. The juvenile and adult shoots also differ, the former being slender, flexible and scrambling or climbing with small aerial roots to affix the shoot to the substrate (rock or tree bark), the latter thicker, self-supporting and without roots. The
flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
s are greenish-yellow with five small petals; they are produced in
umbel In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' "p ...
s in autumn to early winter and are very rich in
nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...
. The
fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...
is a greenish-black, dark purple or (rarely) yellow
berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...
5–10 mm diameter with one to five seeds, ripening in late winter to mid-spring. The seeds are dispersed by birds which eat the berries. The species differ in detail of the leaf shape and size (particularly of the juvenile leaves) and in the structure of the leaf
trichome Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a pla ...
s, and also in the size and, to a lesser extent, the colour of the flowers and fruit. The
chromosome A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins are ...
number also differs between species. The basic diploid number is 48, while some are tetraploid with 96, and others hexaploid with 144 and octaploid with 192 chromosomes.Ackerfield, J, & Wen, J. (2002). A morphometric analysis of Hedera L. (the ivy genus, Araliaceae) and its taxonomic implications. ''Adansonia'' sér. 3, 24: 197-212
Full text.


Ecology

Ivies are natives of Eurasia and North Africa but have been introduced to North America and Australia. They invade disturbed forest areas in North America. Ivy seeds are spread by birds. Ivies are of major ecological importance for their nectar and fruit production, both produced at times of the year when few other nectar or fruit sources are available. The ivy bee ''
Colletes hederae ''Colletes hederae'', the ivy bee, is a species of plasterer bee belonging to the family Colletidae subfamily Colletinae. Taxonomy These mining bees have been only recently described (Schmidt & Westrich 1993) as a distinct species. Until then, ...
'' is completely dependent on ivy flowers, timing its entire life cycle around ivy flowering. The fruit are eaten by a range of birds, including
thrushes The thrushes are a passerine bird family, Turdidae, with a worldwide distribution. The family was once much larger before biologists reclassified the former subfamily Saxicolinae, which includes the chats and European robins, as Old World flycat ...
,
blackcap The Eurasian blackcap (''Sylvia atricapilla''), usually known simply as the blackcap, is a common and widespread typical warbler. It has mainly olive-grey upperparts and pale grey underparts, and differences between the five subspecies are sma ...
s, and
woodpigeon The common wood pigeon or common woodpigeon (''Columba palumbus''), also known as simply wood pigeon, wood-pigeon or woodpigeon, is a large species in the dove and pigeon family (Columbidae), native to the western Palearctic. It belongs to the g ...
s. The leaves are eaten by the
larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...
e of some species of
Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...
such as
angle shades The angle shades (''Phlogophora meticulosa'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. It is distributed throughout Europe as far east as the Urals and a ...
,
lesser broad-bordered yellow underwing The lesser broad-bordered yellow underwing or Langmaid's yellow underwing (''Noctua janthina'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is distributed throughout southern and central Europe, and southern Sweden. Like other members of its genus ...
,
scalloped hazel The scalloped hazel (''Odontopera bidentata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Alexander Clerck in 1759. Distribution It is a common species of northern and central Europe including the British Is ...
,
small angle shades The small angle shades (''Euplexia lucipara'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is distributed throughout the Palearctic. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. As the common name ...
,
small dusty wave The small dusty wave (''Idaea seriata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae first described by Franz von Paula Schrank in 1802. It is found throughout Western, Central and Northern Europe. In the north, its range extends as far as Denmark and so ...
(which feeds exclusively on ivy), swallow-tailed moth and willow beauty. A very wide range of invertebrates shelter and overwinter in the dense woody tangle of ivy. Birds and small mammals also nest in ivy. It serves to increase the surface area and complexity of woodland environments.


Taxonomy

The following species are widely accepted; they are divided into two main groups, depending on whether they have scale-like or stellate trichomes on the undersides of the leaves: *Trichomes scale-like **''
Hedera algeriensis ''Hedera algeriensis'', the Algerian ivy, is a species of evergreen ivy native to the North African coast, including coastal mountains in Algeria.Verhaeghe, P. 2004. Clef des plantes sarmenteuses rustiques en Belgique. ''Taxonomania'' 11:1-26 D ...
'' Hibberd – Algerian ivy. Algeria, Tunisia (Mediterranean coast). **'' Hedera canariensis'' Willd. – Canaries ivy. Canary Islands. **'' Hedera colchica'' (K.Koch) K.Koch – Persian ivy. Alborz, Caucasus, Turkey. **'' Hedera cypria'' McAllister – Cyprus ivy (syn. ''H. pastuchovii'' subsp. ''cypria'' (McAll.) Hand). Cyprus (Troodos Mts.) **'' Hedera iberica'' (McAllister) Ackerfield & J.Wen – Iberian ivy. SW Iberian coasts. **''
Hedera maderensis ''Hedera maderensis'', the Madeiran ivy, is a species of ivy (genus ''Hedera'') which is native to the Atlantic coast in Madeira island. It is a plant of botanical family ''Araliaceae'', species endemic to the island of Madeira with the name: ' ...
'' – Madeiran ivy. Madeira. **''
Hedera maroccana ''Hedera maroccana'', the Moroccan ivy, is a species of ivy (genus ''Hedera'') which is native to the Atlantic coast in northern Africa. It is an evergreen climbing plant, growing to 20–30 m high where suitable surfaces (trees, cliffs, walls) ...
'' McAllister – Moroccan ivy. Morocco. **''
Hedera nepalensis ''Hedera nepalensis'' (Himalayan ivy, chang chun teng) is a species of perennial Ivy (genus ''Hedera'') native to Nepal and Bhutan, as well as Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, at altitudes of about 1000 ...
'' K.Koch – Himalayan ivy (syn. ''H. sinensis'' (Tobl.) Hand.-Mazz.). Himalaya, SW China. **''
Hedera pastuchovii ''Hedera pastuchovii'', (Araliaceae) is a species of ivy native to eastern Transcaucasia and listed in ''The Red Book of the Azerbaijan SSR, 1989''. It is an evergreen woody climber, growing in mixed forests to 20–30 m high where suitable tre ...
'' G.Woronow – Pastuchov's ivy. Caucasus, Alborz. **''
Hedera rhombea ''Hedera rhombea'', the Japanese ivy or songak, is a species of ivy in the Araliaceae family native to East Asia. Formerly named ''Hedera pedunculata'', some subspecies could be subsequently classified as a distinct species. It is common on rocky ...
'' (Miq.) Siebold ex Bean – Japanese ivy. Japan, Korea, Taiwan. *Trichomes stellate **'' Hedera azorica'' Carrière – Azores ivy. Azores. **''
Hedera helix ''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and ...
'' L. – Common ivy (syn. ''H. caucasigena'' Pojark., ''H. taurica'' (Hibberd) Carrière). Europe, widespread. **''
Hedera hibernica ''Hedera hibernica'', common name Atlantic ivy, Boston Ivy or Irish ivy, is a woody vine native to the Atlantic coast of Europe. Description It is an evergreen climbing plant, growing to 20–30 m high where suitable surfaces (trees, cliffs, wa ...
'' (G.Kirchn.) Bean – Atlantic ivy (syn. ''H. helix'' subsp. ''hibernica'' (G.Kirchn.) D.C.McClint.). Atlantic western Europe. The species of ivy are largely
allopatric Allopatric speciation () – also referred to as geographic speciation, vicariant speciation, or its earlier name the dumbbell model – is a mode of speciation that occurs when biological populations become geographically isolated from ...
and closely related, and many have on occasion been treated as varieties or subspecies of ''H. helix'', the first species described. Several additional species have been described in the southern parts of the former
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
, but are not regarded as distinct by most botanists. The only verified
hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...
involving ivies is the intergeneric hybrid '' × Fatshedera lizei'', a cross between ''
Fatsia japonica ''Fatsia japonica'', also fatsi, paperplant, false castor oil plant, or Japanese aralia, is a species of flowering plant in the family (biology), family Araliaceae, native plant, native to southern Japan and southern Korea. Etymology The name '' ...
'' and ''Hedera hibernica''. This hybrid was produced once in a garden in France in 1910 and never successfully repeated, the hybrid being maintained in cultivation by vegetative propagation.Huxley, A., ed. (1992). ''New RHS Dictionary of Gardening'' 2: 60. Macmillan .Metcalfe, D. J. (2005)
Biological Flora of the British Isles no. 268 Hedera helix L.
''Journal of Ecology'' 93: 632–648.
Despite the close relationship between ''Hedera helix'' and ''H. hibernica'' (until relatively recently considered conspecific), no hybrids between them have yet been found. Hybridisation may however have played a part in the evolution of some species in the genus.


Uses and cultivation

Ivies are very popular in cultivation within their native range and compatible climates elsewhere, for their evergreen foliage, attracting wildlife, and for adaptable design uses in narrow planting spaces and on tall or wide walls for aesthetic addition, or to hide unsightly walls, fences and tree stumps. Numerous
cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...
s with variegated foliage and/or unusual leaf shapes have been selected for horticultural use.


Problems and dangers


On trees

Much discussion has involved whether or not ivy climbing trees will harm trees. In Europe, the harm is generally minor although there can be competition for soil nutrients, light, and water, and
senescent Senescence () or biological aging is the gradual deterioration of functional characteristics in living organisms. The word ''senescence'' can refer to either cellular senescence or to senescence of the whole organism. Organismal senescence inv ...
trees supporting heavy ivy growth can be liable to
windthrow In forestry, windthrow refers to trees uprooted by wind. Breakage of the tree bole (trunk) instead of uprooting is called windsnap. Blowdown refers to both windthrow and windsnap. Causes Windthrow is common in all forested parts of the w ...
damage. The UK's
Woodland Trust The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the United Kingdom and is concerned with the creation, protection, and restoration of native woodland Natural heritage, heritage. It has planted over 50 million trees since 1972 ...
says "Ivy has long been accused of strangling trees, but it doesn’t harm the tree at all, and even supports at least 50 species of wildlife." Harm and problems are more significant in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
, where ivy is without the natural pests and diseases that control its vigour in its native continents; the photosynthesis or structural strength of a tree can be overwhelmed by aggressive ivy growth leading to death directly or by opportunistic disease and insect attacks.


Invasive exotic

Several ivy species have become a serious
invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...
(invasive exotic) in natural native plant
habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
s, especially riparian and woodland types, and also a horticultural
weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...
in gardens of the western and southern regions of North America with milder winters. Ivies create a dense, vigorously smothering, shade-tolerant evergreen groundcover that can spread through assertive underground rhizomes and above-ground runners quickly over large natural plant community areas and outcompete the native vegetation. The use of ivies as
ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...
s in horticulture in
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
and other states is now discouraged or banned in certain jurisdictions. Similar problems exist in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. For example, in both countries the
North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
n drought-tolerant ''H. canariensis'' and ''H. algeriensis'' and European ''H. helix'' were originally cultivated in garden, park, and highway landscaping, but they have become aggressively invasive in coastal forests and riparian ecosystems, now necessitating costly eradication programs.


Toxicity

The berries are moderately toxic. Ivy foliage contains
triterpenoid Triterpenes are a class of chemical compounds composed of three terpene units with the molecular formula C30H48; they may also be thought of as consisting of six isoprene units. Animals, plants and fungi all produce triterpenes, including squal ...
saponin Saponins (Latin "sapon", soap + "-in", one of), also selectively referred to as triterpene glycosides, are bitter-tasting usually toxic plant-derived organic chemicals that have a foamy quality when agitated in water. They are widely distributed ...
s and
falcarinol Falcarinol (also known as carotatoxin or panaxynol) is a natural pesticide and fatty alcohol found in carrots ('' Daucus carota''), red ginseng (''Panax ginseng'') and ivy. In carrots, it occurs in a concentration of approximately 2 mg/kg. ...
. Falcarinol is capable of inducing
contact dermatitis Contact dermatitis is a type of acute or chronic inflammation of the skin caused by exposure to chemical or physical agents. Symptoms of contact dermatitis can include itchy or dry skin, a red rash, bumps, blisters, or swelling. These rashes are ...
. It has also been shown to kill breast cancer cells.


Stinging insects

The flowers of ivy are pollinated by
Hymenoptera Hymenoptera is a large order (biology), order of insects, comprising the sawfly, sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. Over 150,000 living species of Hymenoptera have been described, in addition to over 2,000 extinct ones. Many of the species are Par ...
and are particularly attractive to the
common wasp ''Vespula vulgaris'', known as the Common wasp, is a species found in regions that include the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, India, China, New Zealand and Australia. It is sometimes known in English as the European wasp, but the same name is ...
.


Etymology and other names

The name ivy derives from
Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
''ifig'', cognate with German ''Efeu'', of unknown original meaning. The scientific name ''Hedera'' is the classical Latin name for the plant. Old regional common names in Britain, no longer used, include "Bindwood" and "Lovestone", for the way it clings and grows over stones and bricks. US
Pacific Coast Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean. Geography Americas Countries on the western side of the Americas have a Pacific coast as their western or southwestern border, except for Panama, where the Pac ...
regional common names for ''H. canariensis'' include "California ivy" and "Algerian ivy"; for ''H. helix'', regional common names include the generic "English ivy". The name ivy has also been used as a common name for a number of other unrelated plants, including Boston ivy (Japanese Creeper ''
Parthenocissus tricuspidata ''Parthenocissus tricuspidata'' is a flowering plant in the grape family ( Vitaceae) native to eastern Asia in Korea, Japan, and northern and eastern China. Although unrelated to true ivy, it is commonly known as Boston ivy, grape ivy, and Jap ...
'', in the family
Vitaceae The Vitaceae are a family of flowering plants, with 14 genera and around 910 known species, including common plants such as grapevines (''Vitis'' spp.) and Virginia creeper (''Parthenocissus quinquefolia''). The family name is derived from the ge ...
), Cape-ivy (used interchangeably for ''
Senecio angulatus ''Senecio angulatus'', also known as creeping groundsel and Cape ivy, is a Succulent plant, succulent flowering plant in the family Asteraceae that is native to South Africa. Cape ivy is a scrambling and a vine, twining herb that can become an N ...
'' and ''
Delairea odorata ''Delairea'' is a plant genus within the family Asteraceae that is native to South Africa. Classified within the tribe Senecioneae, it contains only one species, ''Delairea odorata'', which was previously included in the genus ''Senecio'' as ''Se ...
'', in the family
Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...
), poison-ivy (''
Toxicodendron radicans ''Toxicodendron radicans'', commonly known as eastern poison ivy or poison ivy, is an allergenic Asian and Eastern North American flowering plant in the genus ''Toxicodendron''. The species is well known for causing urushiol-induced contact derm ...
'' in the family
Anacardiaceae The Anacardiaceae, commonly known as the cashew family or sumac family, are a family of flowering plants, including about 83 genera with about 860 known species. Members of the Anacardiaceae bear fruits that are drupes and in some cases produce ...
), Swedish ivy (Whorled Plectranthus ''
Plectranthus verticillatus ''Plectranthus verticillatus'' (Synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Plectranthus nummularius''), Swedish ivy, Swedish begonia or whorled plectranthus is a plant in the family Lamiaceae (Labiatae), genus ''Plectranthus''. Despite its common name, it is not ...
'', in the family
Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory ...
), and Kenilworth ivy (''
Cymbalaria muralis ''Cymbalaria muralis'', commonly called ivy-leaved toadflax or Kenilworth ivy, is a low, spreading, viney plant with small purple flowers, native to southern Europe. It belongs to the plantain family (Plantaginaceae), and is introduced in North A ...
'' in the family
Plantaginaceae Plantaginaceae, the plantain family, is a large, diverse family of flowering plants in the order Lamiales that includes common flowers such as snapdragon and foxglove. It is unrelated to the banana-like fruit also called "plantain." In older cl ...
).


Cultural symbolism

Like many other evergreen plants, which impressed European cultures by persisting through the winter, ivy has traditionally been imbued with a spiritual significance. It was brought into homes to drive out evil spirits. In
Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...
it was believed that a wreath of ivy could prevent a person from becoming drunk, and such a wreath was worn by
Bacchus In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; grc, wikt:Διόνυσος, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstas ...
, the god of intoxication. Ivy bushes or ivy-wrapped poles have traditionally been used to advertise taverns in the United Kingdom, and many pubs are still called The Ivy. The clinging nature of ivy makes it a symbol of love and friendship, there was once a tradition of priests giving ivy to newlyweds, and as it clings to dead trees and remains green, it was also viewed as a symbol of the eternal life of the soul after the death of the body in medieval Christian symbolism. The traditional British
Christmas carol A Christmas carol is a carol (a song or hymn) on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French ori ...
, "
The Holly and the Ivy "The Holly and the Ivy" is a traditional British folk Christmas carol, listed as number 514 in the Roud Folk Song Index. The song can be traced only as far as the early nineteenth century, but the lyrics reflect an association between holly a ...
", uses ivy as a symbol for the
Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...
. Ivy-covered ruins were a staple of the Romantic movement in landscape painting, for example ''Visitor to a Moonlit Churchyard'' by
Philip James de Loutherbourg Philip James de Loutherbourg RA (31 October 174011 March 1812), whose name is sometimes given in the French form of Philippe-Jacques, the German form of Philipp Jakob, or with the English-language epithet of the Younger, was a French-born Brit ...
(1790), ''Tintern Abbey, West Front'' by
Joseph Mallord William Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbule ...
(1794) and ''Netley Abbey'' by
Francis Towne Francis Towne (1739 or 1740 – 7 July 1816) was a British watercolour painter of landscapes that range from the English Lake District to Naples and Rome. After a long period of obscurity, his work has been increasingly recognised from th ...
(1809). In this context ivy may represent the ephemerality of human endeavours and the sublime power of nature. The image of ivy-covered historic buildings gave the name
Ivy League The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight schools ...
to a group of old and prestigious American
universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
. Ivy features extensively in the 2010 movie ''
Arrietty ''Arrietty'', titled in Japan and ''The Secret World of Arrietty'' in North America, is a 2010 Japanese animated fantasy film directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi as his feature film debut as a director, animated by Studio Ghibli for the Nippon ...
'' and the poster for the film.


Gallery

File:Beroun, Hostim, popínavé rostliny v údolí říčky Loděnice-Kačák.JPG, ''Hedera helix'' on trees near Srbsko, Czech Republic File:Hedera colchica0.jpg, ''Hedera colchica'' leaves and flowers File:Hedera hibernica with berries.JPG, ''Hedera hibernica'' with berries File:Ivy 77uf be.JPG, ''Hedera helix'' leaves, Bremerhaven File:Hedera helix 003.JPG, ''Hedera helix'' flowers


See also

* Anjo Festival * Bığbığ Ivy *
List of poisonous plants Plants that produce toxins are referred to as poisonous plants. Plants that cause irritation on contact are also described as "poisonous". The toxins in poisonous plants affect herbivores, and deter them from consuming the plants. Plants cannot ...
*
NASA Clean Air Study __NOTOC__ The NASA Clean Air Study was a project led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in association with the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) in 1989, to research ways to clean the air in sealed envir ...


References


External links


Kew plant profiles: ''Hedera helix'' (common ivy)
* * {{Authority control Apiales genera Christmas plants Flora of Africa Flora of Europe Garden plants of Africa Garden plants of Europe Groundcovers Rhizomatous plants Stoloniferous plants Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Vines Flora invasive in North America