Virginia Tech Dendrology

English ivy Araliaceae Hedera helix L. symbol: HEHE
Leaf: Alternate, simple, evergreen and thickened, 2 to 4 inches long, shiny dark green to blue green above with pale veins and lighter green below; juvenile leaves and leaves on non-flowering stems are 3 to 5 lobed, flowering stems typically have unlobed, ovate to diamond-shaped leaves.
Flower: Perfect, small, greenish white, in round clusters; appearing in fall.
Fruit: Round black drupes, 1/4 inch across; ripen over winter.
Twig: Slender, light green but later turning light brown with aerial rootlets.
Bark: Light brown slightly rough and finely scaly with numerous rootlets at the nodes.
Form: A low spreading ground cover that can also climb high onto buildings and trees using aerial roots.
Looks like: wintercreeper - Boston ivy

Additional Range Information: Hedera helix is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and may seed into the landscape. Download the full-size PDF map.
More Information: Fall Color
External Links: USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database
All material 2025 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