Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 4.0
About
The common ivy, *Hedera helix*, is a vigorous, evergreen climbing vine known for its ornamental appeal and its ability to cover vast surfaces. It is notable for its distinct leaf types and its role as a prolific source of late-season food for birds and insects.
Field notes
Morphology
The plant grows to 20–30 m high and climbs using aerial rootlets. It has two leaf types: juvenile leaves are alternate and palmately five-lobed on creeping stems, while adult leaves are unlobed and cordate on flowering stems. Flowers are small, greenish-yellow, and arranged in umbels 3–5 cm in diameter. The fruit are purple-black to orange-yellow berries, 6–8 mm in diameter, containing one to five seeds.
Distribution & habitat
Native to most of Europe and parts of western Asia, its range extends from Ireland northeast to southern Scandinavia, south to Portugal, and east to Ukraine, Iran and northern Turkey.
History & etymology
The genus name *Hedera* is derived from Classical Latin for 'ivy'. The specific epithet *helix* was borrowed from Ancient Greek, meaning 'spiral', giving the full binomial the meaning 'the clinging plant that coils in spirals'.
Habitat
- Altitude
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- Altitude Class
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Cultivation
- Difficulty
- intermediate
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