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Hedera helix L. English ivy
English ivy is native to most of Europe. Introduced to North America and Australia, it is now considered an invasive in some areas. Identification: English ivy is a climbing vine that reaches 66-98′ (20-30 m) in height, clinging to rocks, trees and buildings with sticky aerial rootlets, and spreading to cover the substrate almost completely. Vines in well-established plants can reach up to 1′ (30 cm) in diameter. Younger leaves have five (rarely three) pointed lobes; in older leaves, the lobes become less divided. Leaves are dark green and waxy or shiny, with prominent, light-colored veins, 1½-4″ (3.8-10 cm) long. It takes many years for a vine to begin flowering, and the flowers are inconspicuous, small and greenish. Berries are purple or black, about ¼″ (6.3 mm) in diameter, and also rare. English ivy is considered an invasive in some areas because it climbs over and kills many other plants, establishing a less healthy monoculture in place of a more diverse plant community. Online References:
Forest and Kim Starr’s Starr Environmental site The University of Connecticut Plant Database The Plant Conservation Alliance’s Alien Plant Working Group Least Wanted List Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants The USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database
4/4/2011
Hedera helix description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.
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9/20/2009 · Maine
3/2/2011
11/17/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 2 × 1′ (62 × 41 cm)
4/6/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (52 × 34 cm) Range:
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ID is uncertain 
