English Ivy

What Does It Look Like?

What is it?

Ivy (Hedera species) are evergreen climbing vines in the Ginseng family, and are garden and house plants, and environmental weeds in temperate to sub-humid areas of Australia. Although English Ivy (Hedera helix) is present and weedy, the closely related Irish Ivy (Hedera hibernica) is far more common as a weed (at least in South Australia and Victoria). Until June 2020, English Ivy (Hedera helix) was (and still is in many areas), the name incorrectly applied to Irish Ivy (Hedera hibernica), despite being present as a weed for about 70 years. The correct name (taxonomy) for Irish Ivy (Hedera hibernica) has not been uniformly applied across Australia, so here we use the common name English Ivy to refer to both English and Irish Ivy. For further information please see: Brodie et al. (2000), McAllister & Marshall, (2017); VicFlora (2016).

English Ivy has are dark green leaves, waxy, somewhat leathery, and arranged alternately along the stem. English and Irish Ivy have many recognised cultivars with 100s if not 1000s of leaf leaf forms different from the wild species size and shape. The juvenile leaves that are the most common leaf shape are 3-lobed or occasionally 5-lobed, which climbs by means of adventitious roots (roots produced from the stem). After reaching a certain size, and usually when it grows tall enough to get into the sun, the plant can assume its mature form, with un-lobed, oval leaves. Mature leaf branches and stems can now only produce mature leaves, and cuttings from the mature form remain mature. The adult leaves are only produced when the plant flowers on the upper parts of the plants (rarely when growing along the ground), and are not lobed. Intermediate matures leaves can show lobbing at the base of the branch, but not at the top of the branches with flowers.

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Umbrella-like clusters of small, greenish-white flowers appear in autumn if sufficient sunlight is available.

The berry-like fruits mature in spring and are purplish to black with a fleshy outer covering enclosing one to a few hard, stone-like seeds (GISD 2005).

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For further information and assistance with identification of English Ivy contact the herbarium in your state or territory.

Flower colour

White, Green

Growth form (weed type/habit)

Vine

Where it currently grows? Preferred habitat

English Ivy occurs in temperate to subtropical climates where it grows in wet sclerophyll forest or disturbed rainforest, coastal areas, salt marsh edges, and other upland areas, especially where some soil moisture is present, on a variety of substrates. It will grow in variable light conditions but prefers shade, damp soils, and a moist, cool environment (GISD 2005; Henwood & Makinson 1999-2007).

Are there similar species?

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All, Ivy species are similar in appearance with wild species separated on based on leaf-shape and minute hairs on developing leaves. As many (1000s) cultivars (garden varieties), have been developed from ivy, especially English and Irish Ivy, over hundreds of years, leave’s shapes have been greatly altered from wild types (shape), to the point that different species have overlapping and varying leaf sizes and shapes, making separating these taxa using leaf shape problematic to redundant. Identification is based on leaf hairs and use of these the cryptic characters is challenging. Algerian ivy (Hedera algeriensis) has also been mistaken for English Ivy. For a comprehensive overview and taxonomic treatment of ivy species and information on cultivars, see: McAllister & Marshall, (2017), and for species in Australia see: Brodie et al. (2000); eFlora 2021; VicFlora (2016).

English Ivy is similar to the native Wonga Wonga Vine (Pandorea pandorana), which is a woody climber in forests, but its leaves are a different shape and its stems do not cling to the bark.

The native Common Silkpod (Parsonsia straminea) climbs tree trunks with aerial roots like English Ivy when young, but its leaves are not lobed. Mature plants lose this feature and climb by twining.

The weed Cape Ivy (Delairea odorata) has slightly similar lobed leaves but they are brighter green and the plant climbs by twining (DPI 2004; Eurobodalla Shire Council undated).

Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Outdoor