Virginia Creeper
by Valerie (September 3, 2000)
  A very widespread vine, Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) occurs in forests throughout the U.S. It often grows in the same areas as poison ivy, but I could never figure out how anybody could confuse the two, since they look quite a bit different and, even if you didn't know their look, poison ivy has three leaves and Virginia creeper has five, an easy count to make. A pretty, drought resistant native, the creeper climbs rapidly and is perfect for covering shady fences or tree trunks. This plant achieves it's foothold by means of little tendrils with masses of tiny aerial rootlets that can grip even the smallest crack. The stems are woody and grow larger with age. One of the nicest features is the spectacular red fall color of the leaves, something that is in short supply in many of our local native plants. |