Common name: Ivy
Family: Araliaceae, Aralia (Ginseng)
Height x width: vine, indefinite length
Foliage: alternate, 3-5 lobed or entire, often variegated, various with cultivar and growth phase
Flowers: umbels of tiny, 5-lobed greenish flowers followed by usually black berry-like fruits in fall; flowers and fruit seldom produced indoors
Light: bright to low; variegated forms require higher light, turning more green in low light
Temperature: wide range
Watering: well-watered, tolerates average to dry
Fertility: moderate
Humidity: humid prefered, tolerates average
Soil: well-drained, organic
Pests and Problems: root rots, leaf spots, stem rots, spider mites (often most serious pest), aphids, mealybugs, whiteflies; leaves turn reddish to pink below 40ºF indoors
Growth habit, uses: groundcover indoors, hanging basket, terrarium, topiary
Other interest: from the Latin name for the plant; the plant has two distinct growth phases-- a young, juvenile phase in which it often has lobed leaves, adventitious rootlets, minutely hairy young leaves, and climbs; the older, mature phase has larger, mainly broadly ovate leaves, forming aerial "bushes" in tops of trees, flowers and fruits, and this latter phase is seldom seen indoors; unlobed ivies grown vertically often produce lobes; lobing and habit is also affected by seasonal variation; many cultivars have been selected as this plant sports or mutates readily; generally hardy to zones 5 or 6-10, 7-10 for variegated cultivars; this plant reportedly helps purify indoor air; contact with sap may cause skin irritation, or severe discomfort if ingested
Other culture: vines climb by clinging to surfaces, so may need to the fastened as desired
Propagation: rooting stem or tip cuttings of juvenile growth, often root in water
Species:
• azorica (aa-zor' i-cah)-- Azores Ivy, fan-shaped light green leaves to 3" long, vigorous climber, white-hairy new growth, native to the Azores
• canariensis (ca-nair-ee-en' sis)-- Algerian Ivy, Canary Island Ivy, heart-shaped or 3-lobed glossy emeral-green leaves 4-8" long, vigorous climber, native to Algeria
• colchica (col' chee-kah)-- Colchis/Persian Ivy, heart-shaped, leathery and dark green leaves 3-8" long and aromatic when crushed, native to Caucasus
• helix (he' lix)-- English Ivy, vigorous climber, leaves broadly ovate to triangular varying widely with many cultivars, the most commonly seen species in commerce, native to Europe; f. poetarum has 5-lobes, orange-yellow fruit even when young
• hibernica (hi-ber' ni-cah)-- Atlantic Ivy, broadly ovate to triangular, leaves 2-3" long, 5 triangular lobes and light green veins, native to western Europe
• himalaica:nepalensis
• nepalensis (ne-pal-en' sis)-- Nepal Ivy, weak vigor, leaves generally entire and elliptic, sometimes with 3-6 toothed lobes, native to Himalayas
• pastuchovii (pas-two-cho' vee-ii)-- Caucasus Ivy, moderate vigor, triangular to heart-shaped and widely spaced leaves, dark green and shiny to 2" long, native to Caucasus
• rhombea (rom' bee-ah)-- Japanese Ivy, unlobed ovate
to triangular leaves to 2" long, native to Korea and Japan; var. cypria
has grayish veins
The American Ivy Society has categorized ivies generally two ways-- by leaf shape, and type if unusual.
Type:
• Oddities (O)-- unusual traits such as distorted or curly stems or leaves, bushy habit, upright
• Variegateds (V)-- leaves of more than one color, or a color other than green
• Heart-shaped (H)-- heart-shaped or triangular, 3-lobed
• Fan (F)-- fan-shaped or triangular, lobes or equal length or pointing forward and prominently veined
• Bird's Foot (BF)-- narrow lobes or willow-like unlobed
• Curly (C)-- ruffled, rippled or wavy leaves or margins or both
| Cultivar | species | type | leaf | foliage | |
| 'Adam' | helix | V | I | grayish, variegation creamy turning yellow | |
| 'Angularis Aurea' | helix | V | I | angular lobes, young leaves with yellow | |
| 'Anne Marie' | helix | V | I | 5 rounded, creamy variegated lobes | |
| 'Asterisk' | helix | BF | small, deep and narrow lobes | ||
| *'Baltica' | helix | I | more heart-shaped, white veins | ||
| 'Boskoop' | helix | BF | large, glossy, 3-lobed, curled | ||
| 'Bruder Ingobert':'Ingobert' | |||||
| *'Buttercup' | helix | V | I | pale green in shade, bright yellow in sun | |
| 'Caecilia' | helix | V | C | rounded, frilled, gray blotches, white edges | |
| 'Caenwoodiana':'Pedata' | |||||
| 'Calico' | helix | V | I | small, 3-lobed, white variegated centers | |
| 'California' | helix | C | broadly 5-lobed, slightly raised veins | ||
| 'California Fan' | helix | C,F | 5-7 lobes, bold veins, wedge bases | ||
| 'Ceridwen' | helix | V | I | grayish, broad yellow margins, 3-5 lobes | |
| 'Chester' | helix | V | I | lime-green and cream variegation | |
| 'Congesta' | helix | O | 2-ranked dark green leaves, bushy habit | ||
| 'Conglomerata' | helix | O | thick, 3 shallow lobes, wavy margins | ||
| 'Cristata':'Parsley Crested' | |||||
| 'Curley-Q':'Dragon Claw' | |||||
| 'Curly Locks' | helix | C | large, rounded, tightly grooved margins | ||
| 'Deltoidea' | hibernica | H | slow, dense, shallowly lobed | ||
| 'Dentata' | colchica | H | arching, dark green, purplish stems | ||
| 'Dentata Variegata' | colchica | V | H | light green, grayish streaks, whitish margins | |
| 'Diana' | helix | H | 3 lobes with drawn-out apices | ||
| 'Dragon Claw' | helix | C | 3-5 strongly curled lobes | ||
| 'Duckfoot' | helix | M | BF | 3 shallow lobes as in a "duck's foot" | |
| 'Erecta' | helix | I | erect, creeping, light veins | ||
| 'Fan' | helix | F | broad, veined, 3-5 lobes point forward | ||
| 'Flamenco' | helix | O | C | small, frilled, flat petioles | |
| 'Fluffy Ruffles' | helix | C | small, 5 wavy lobes with frilled margins | ||
| 'Garland' | helix | H | broad, glossy | ||
| *'Glacier' | helix | V | I | 3-5 lobes, silvery variegation, white margins | |
| 'Gloire de Marengo' | canariensis | V | H | wide white margins, grayish centers | |
| 'Gnome':'Spetchley' | |||||
| 'Gold Child' | helix | V | I | grayish, broad yellow margins | |
| 'Gold Dust' | helix | V | I | gold splashed green or gray | |
| 'Gold Harold':'Gold Child' | |||||
| *'Gold Heart' | helix | V | H | 3 lobes centrally splashed yellow | |
| 'Golden Inge':'Golden Ingot' | |||||
| 'Golden Ingot' | helix | V | I | bright yellow, green margins | |
| 'Golden Kolibri':'Midas Touch' | |||||
| 'Green Feather' | helix | M | BF | 3-5 narrow and long lobes | |
| 'Green Finger' | helix | BF | none to 3 lobes with basal "ear" lobe | ||
| 'Green Ripple' | helix | F | 3-5 jagged lobes pointing forward | ||
| 'Hahn's Self-branching':'Pittsburgh' | |||||
| 'Harrison' | helix | I | large, triangular, white veins, purplish in cold | ||
| 'Helena' | helix | V | BF | small, star-like, white margin, gray centers | |
| 'Holly':'Ivalace' | |||||
| 'Ingobert' | helix | V | I | grayish with dark green, creamy margins | |
| 'Irish Lace' | helix | BF | star-like, 5 linear lobes, margins rolled under | ||
| 'Ivalace' | helix | C | 5 lobes with wavy, curled, crimped margins | ||
| 'Jubilaum Goldherz':'Gold Heart' | |||||
| 'Jubilee' | helix | M | V | compact, grayish with green, creamy edges | |
| 'Jubilee Goldheart':'Gold Heart' | |||||
| 'Kolibri' | helix | V | I | small, creamy white, 3 forward lobes | |
| 'Lala Rookh' | helix | C | 5 irregular and deeply cut lobes | ||
| 'Little Diamond' | helix | M | V | grayish margined creamy, diamond shaped | |
| 'Manda Crested' | helix | C | large, 5 lobes, tips point down | ||
| 'Maple Leaf' | helix | BF | star-like, 5 lobes, irregular toothed | ||
| 'Marbled Dragon' | nepalensis | H | grayish-green with whitish veins, long stalks | ||
| 'Margino-maculata' | canariensis | V | H | creamy white, speckled grayish | |
| 'Melanie' | helix | C | very curly, maroon margins | ||
| 'Midas Touch' | helix | V | H | ovate, bright yellow variegation | |
| 'Midget' | helix | M | BF | small, flat, star-like, 3-5 narrow lobes | |
| 'Misty' | helix | M | V | BF, gray streaks, narrow white margins | |
| 'Mrs. Pollack' | helix | F | 5-7 lobes point forward, with yellow | ||
| 'Needlepoint' | helix | M | BF | bushy, small, 3-5 lobes | |
| 'Oro di Bogliasco':'Gold Heart' | |||||
| 'Paddy's Pride':'Sulphur Heart' | |||||
| 'Parsley Crested' | helix | C | rounded, wavy and crested margins | ||
| 'Pedata' | helix | BF | 5 lobes, "bird's foot" shape | ||
| 'Perkeo' | helix | M | H | short joints, thick, streaked light green | |
| 'Pierot' | rhombea | M | H | 3-lobed, dark green, delicate | |
| 'Pin Oak' | helix | BF | 3 lobes with central elongated | ||
| 'Pittsburgh' | helix | I | heart-shaped, 5 lobes | ||
| 'Plume d'Or' | helix | BF | 5 narrow, elongated lobes, large | ||
| 'Professor Friedrich Tobler':'Tobler' | |||||
| 'Romanze' | helix | V | C | 5 lobes, gold variegated, wavy margins | |
| 'Rona' | hibernica | V | I | gold with green freckles | |
| 'Schaefer Three' | helix | V | I | short joints, variably colored white, gray | |
| 'Shamrock' | helix | M | BF | 3 rounded lobes deeply cut | |
| 'Silver Lace':'Misty' | |||||
| 'Spectre' | helix | V | BF | 3-5 curled, twisted lobes, streaked gray | |
| 'Spetchley' | helix | M | BF | flat sprays, tiny, 1-3 lobes | |
| 'Striata' | canariensis | V | H | centers splashed yellowish | |
| 'Sub-Zero':'Thorndale' | |||||
| 'Sulphur Heart' | colchica | V | H | gold to chartreuse centers, white main veins | |
| 'Suzanne' | nepalensis | BF | grayish, white veins, basal lobes point back | ||
| 'Telecurl' | helix | C | curled between 5 lobes | ||
| *'Thorndale' | helix | I | heart-shaped, 5 wide irregular lobes | ||
| 'Tobler' | helix | BF | small, 3-5 deeply cut lobes | ||
| 'Treetop' | helix | O | erect shrub, glossy maturing dark green | ||
| 'Trident':'Triton' | |||||
| 'Triton' | helix | F | 3-5 pointed, twisted lobes, non-climbing | ||
| 'Variegata' | hibernica | V | I | yellow-green variegation, green blotches | |
| 'Variegata' | rhombea | V | I | creamy-white margins, slow growth | |
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