Ivy is one of the most versatile plants that conquers its environment by climbing, creeping or as a bushy shrub. In the following article you will find out how you can clearly identify this plant, which is also valuable for ecology, and how you can distinguish young ivy from the older form.
What does ivy look like?
You can recognize this native,evergreen climbing plantby thejagged, dark green foliage with a bright pattern of veins. Cultivated forms impress with their colorful leaves or the almost white parts of the leaves. The old form forms inconspicuous green-yellow umbel flowers in autumn, from which black-blue berries develop.
What do the leaves of ivy look like?
The wild form Hedera helix formsdark green, three to five times lobed leaves. The bright leaf veins stand out clearly. After about ten years, when the ivy begins to mature, the spikes become flattened and the foliage is heart-shaped or diamond-shaped.
When temperatures are low in autumn and winter, the leaves remaining on the climbing plant during the cold season turn bronze brown or pink to dark red, depending on the variety.
Does the ivy form flowers and fruits and what do they look like?
From around the age of ten, the ivy adorns itself withinconspicuous,very nutritious for bees,flowers,which becomedark berries develop.
- The flowers are green-yellow in color. They appear from September and stand together in dense clusters.
- The spherical berries, up to one centimeter in size, are black-blue. They reach maturity between February and March.
Attention: All parts of the ivy, especially the ivy fruits, are poisonous to humans.
Which growth form is characteristic of ivy?
Ivy isa climbing plant,with itsgreen to red-brown shootsand theadhesive roots climbs independently and can reach heights of up to twenty meters. From around the age of ten, Hedera helix forms upright, thicker branches with light gray bark that no longer climb.
This old form of ivy, which no longer forms adhesive roots, is available in stores as a special cultivar under the name Hedera helix ‘Arborescens’.
Tip
Ivy comes in numerous varieties
Of the visually pretty cultivated forms of ivy, some are only suitable for indoor cultivation. This is particularly true for plants whose jagged foliage has a white edge or light-colored parts of the leaves. However, there are also very attractive, colorful-leaved varieties that are suitable for year-round cultivation in balcony boxes and gardens.
