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Hedera helix L.

English ivy (en), Lierre (fr), Herbe de saint Jean (fr), Lierre grimpant (fr), Lierre commun (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Apiales > Araliaceae > Hedera

Characteristics

Climbing perennial. Stems up to 30 m long, creeping or climbing, becoming stouter and ± erect and often arborescent at flowering; young shoots and petioles green to purplish or burgundy red, with few to numerous, (3)-6-16-(20)-rayed stellate or scale-like hairs. Lvs glabrous, dark green or variegated ivory white; lvs of non-flowering shoots broadly ovate, obtuse to acuminate, obtuse to cordate at base, usually shallowly to moderately 3-5-palmately-lobed, (1.5)-3-15-(20) cm long; lvs of flowering shoots ovate, rhombic, or elliptic, often narrower and more crowded than lvs of non-flowering shoots, acute to acuminate, obtuse at base, not lobed, up to c. 15 cm long. Infl. a raceme of numerous-flowered globose umbels; petals yellowish green, 3-5 mm long. Fr. deep bluish purple to black when ripe, 2-3-seeded, 5-8 mm diam.
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Climbing to 30 m; young shoots and infl densely covered with small stellate to peltate hairs; lvs shining, dark green, dimorphic, those of flowering shoots narrowly elliptic to suborbicular-cordate, entire, the others broad, palmately 3-or 5-lobed; fr nearly black, with 2 or 3 pyrenes; 2n=48. Native of Europe, cult. in various forms and occasionally escaped, especially southward.
A climbing plant. It grows 30 m long. The young shoots and flowers are hairy. The leaves are dark green and shiny. They come in 2 forms.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support climber
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread endozoochory
Mature width (meter) 2.0 - 3.25
Mature height (meter) 8.0 - 12.0
Root system adventitious-root creeping-root
Rooting depth (meter) 0.3
Root diameter (meter) 0.5
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Woodlands, hedges and shady places, climbing up trees, walls etc and clambering over the ground. Found on all types of soils.
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It is a temperate plant.
Light 1-7
Soil humidity 4-7
Soil texture 1-5
Soil acidity 3-8
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 5-9

Usage

Uses dye environmental use material medicinal ornamental poison wood
Edible leaves seeds stems
Therapeutic use Rheumatism (unspecified), Dysentery (flower), Cathartics (fruit), Fever (fruit), Hemoptysis (fruit), Jaundice (fruit), General tonic for rejuvenation (fruit), Diaphoretic (fruit), Cathartics (leaf), Menstruation-inducing agents (leaf), Neuralgia (leaf), Parasympatholytics (leaf), General tonic for rejuvenation (leaf), Wounds and injuries (leaf), Diaphoretic (leaf), Menstruation-inducing agents (plant exudate), Antiseptic (unspecified), Astringent (unspecified), Cacoethes (unspecified), Callus (unspecified), Cancer (unspecified), Cathartic (unspecified), Chirony (unspecified), Corn (unspecified), Diaphoretic (unspecified), Emetic (unspecified), Emmenagogue (unspecified), Laxative (unspecified), Pediculicide (unspecified), Poison (unspecified), Polyp(Nose) (unspecified), Sudorific (unspecified), Swelling (unspecified), Toothache (unspecified), Tumor (unspecified), Tumor(Lymphatic) (unspecified), Vasoconstrictor (unspecified), Vasodilator (unspecified), Wen (unspecified), Sclerosis(Uterus) (unspecified), Stimulant (unspecified), Vermifuge (unspecified), Wart (unspecified), Common cold (unspecified)
Human toxicity allergenic (aerial)
Animal toxicity toxic (aerial)

Cultivation

Can be grown by cuttings, graftings or seedlings.
Mode cuttings graftings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) 3
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -27
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Hedera helix habit picture by livi c-s (cc-by-sa)
Hedera helix habit picture by David Hocken (cc-by-sa)
Hedera helix habit picture by Thierry LE COM (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Hedera helix leaf picture by V Husar (cc-by-sa)
Hedera helix leaf picture by Laurent magne (cc-by-sa)
Hedera helix leaf picture by Pauline Hermant (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Hedera helix flower picture by Vdb Sim (cc-by-sa)
Hedera helix flower picture by pierre creuze (cc-by-sa)
Hedera helix flower picture by York Jamie (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Hedera helix fruit picture by Stepan Slavin (cc-by-sa)
Hedera helix fruit picture by Stefano (cc-by-sa)
Hedera helix fruit picture by de la Olla Silvia (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Hedera helix world distribution map, present in Åland Islands, Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Belarus, Brazil, Canada, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Spain, France, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Sweden, Turks and Caicos Islands, Ukraine, and United States of America

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:90723-1
WFO ID wfo-0000979730
COL ID 6LH6Y
BDTFX ID 30892
INPN ID 100787
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Hedera helix f. cavendishii Hedera helix f. conglomerata Hedera helix f. marmorata Hedera helix f. minima Hedera helix f. discolor Hedera aurantiaca Hedera baccifera Hedera cordifolia Hedera glimii Hedera gracilis Hedera helix Hedera minor Hedera humirepens Hedera marginata Hedera palmata Hedera helix f. baltica Hedera helix f. aureovariegata Hedera combwoodiana Hedera helix f. arborea Hedera helix f. glymii Hedera chrysophylla Hedera communis Hedera conglomerata Hedera cordata Hedera digitata Hedera donerailensis Hedera elegantissima Hedera grandifolia Hedera pennsylvanica Hedera poetica Hedera purpurea Hedera willsiana Hedera helix var. digitata Hedera helix var. discolor Hedera arborea var. variegata Hedera communis var. sterilis Hedera helix var. arborescens Hedera helix var. aurantiaca Hedera helix var. aurea Hedera helix var. baltica Hedera helix var. cavendishii Hedera helix var. chrysophylla Hedera helix var. conglomerata Hedera helix var. corrugata Hedera helix var. crenata Hedera helix var. dealbata Hedera helix var. erecta Hedera helix var. europaea Hedera helix var. gracilis Hedera helix var. helvetica Hedera helix var. hodgensii Hedera helix var. leucocarpa Hedera helix var. lucida Hedera helix var. luteola Hedera helix var. marmorata Hedera helix var. meagheri Hedera helix var. melanocarpa Hedera helix var. minima Hedera helix var. palmata Hedera helix var. palmatoaurea Hedera helix var. pedata Hedera helix var. pennsylvanica Hedera helix var. scutifolia Hedera helix var. sublutea Hedera helix var. succinata Hedera helix var. sulphurea Hedera helix var. tortuosa Hedera helix var. triloba Hedera helix var. variegata Hedera helix var. walthamensis Hedera helix var. glymii Hedera helix var. deltoidea Hedera helix var. tricolor Hedera helix f. cullisii

Lower taxons

Hedera helix f. poetarum Hedera helix f. helix
WorldFloraDB 2024