Virginia Creeper, a Plant with Ambition

Photographer: Patti Weeks
Summary Author: Patti Weeks

Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), also called woodbine, is a perennial, deciduous woody vine of the grape family. Loosely translated, the name means “five-leaved virgin ivy.”  It can be propagated as an ornamental wall or ground cover, which turns a deep red in fall. It can also be used for erosion control in sloped areas, as the vines can creep along 50 ft (15.24 m) or more, and it grows very fast — up to 20 ft (6.1 m) per year. The vines attach themselves to the ground by their adventitious roots. And in unmanaged areas, they will often be seen growing up trees and utility poles. Interestingly, unlike Kudzu, the Virginia Creeper is a native non-invasive North American plant. It is native to the eastern and central U.S., and extends north to southeastern Canada, west to Nevada and south into Mexico. The vines’ purplish-black berries, produced in late summer and early fall, are a valuable source of food for birds, deer and small mammals, but are toxic to humans.

Considered a self-climber, this vine needs no support due to its adhesive “holdfasts” or sucker-like disks that extend from small, branched tendrils opposite the nodes of the leaf stems. The vines can be a nuisance and even cause damage to property by clinging to fences, siding, gutters, or wiring. The suckers allow the vine to grow, but they are difficult to remove and can ruin wood or painted surfaces.

All photos are from Pitt and Lenoir counties in eastern North Carolina, U.S.A., summer 2024. First: single young vine with suckers, on my patio; second: covered utility pole near a country road; third: overgrown vines with ripe berries on abandoned building.

 

Related Links: 
Kudzu, the Good Plant Gone Bad
More About Virginia Creeper
Still More About the Virginia Creeper
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