Virginia Tech Dendrology

Virginia creeper Vitaceae Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.) Planch. Listen to the Latin Link to this fact sheet play symbol: PAQU2
Leaf: Alternate, palmately compound, 4 to 8 inches across, with five elliptical leaflets per leaf, with coarsely crenate to serrate margins, shiny green above and paler below.
Flower: Small, not showy, green and borne in clusters on long stems, appear in summer.
Fruit: A blue-black berry, 1/4 inch in diameter, borne in long-stemmed clusters, maturing in late summer.
Twig: New stems are slender, light brown in color, with numerous reddish lenticels, tendrils are apparent opposite the buds, ending in adhesive pads; buds are broadly conical with orange-brown scales; leaf scars are nearly round and concave.
Bark: Gray-brown, becoming coarsely hairy due to aerial roots and tendrils. When rapidly growing, the aerial roots are bright, orange-brown.
Form: A climbing vine that may provide ground cover or ascend to fifty feet. Stems may get several inches in diameter.
 Looks like: Boston ivy - poison-ivy
leaf flower fruit twig bark form1 map
Additional Range Information: Parthenocissus quinquefolia is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
More Information: Fall Color
External Links: USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database - Horticulture Information
All material © 2019 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information