Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)

Details

Family: Vitaceae

The Virginia creeper vine is very common in Ohio, often seen climbing up trees. It can climb tree trunks as high as 50 feet and it is very weather tolerant. This plant is often confused with poison ivy. Both plants are flowering, have similarly shaped leaves, and are climbing vines.

The easiest way to tell the difference between these vines is by the number of leaflets. Virginia creeper has five leaflets, while poison ivy has three.

No known problems or diseases are known to be associated with this plant. It has been used in gardens as a ground cover or to cover the sides of garden walls. Its colors are vibrant red in the fall.

References:

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=l490

http://www.friendsofthewildflowergarden.org/pages/plants/

woods

LEARN MORE about the Woods on the Ariel-Foundation Park main site!

Credits

A special thanks to the students of the Field Botany class at Mount Vernon Nazarene University who wrote the reports on the various kinds of trees found in The Woods. These students include Chandler Cook, Grace Hall, Emily Kauble, Keith Kitchen, Madison Lotz, Kevin Maurer, Christina Norcross, Caroline Phillips, Dakoda Ramsey, Jacob Schott, Emily Smith, and Katelyn Stone.

All photos linked in this Learning Station courtesy of D. Mosher, Mount Vernon Nazarene University.

Appendix I

Plant surveys were done by the Field Botany class at Mount Vernon Nazarene University during the fall semester of 2016. A summary of the class surveys for woody plants and herbaceous plants is available.