A Kind of Ivy That Blooms

Types and Geography

• The grape ivy (Cissus alata) is tropical ivy from the West Indies, Central and South America. English ivy (Hedera helix) is a non-native vine ivy, hailing from western sections of Asia, northern Africa and parts of Europe. Persian ivy (H. colchina) is a versatile ivy that produces flowers, notes the Missouri Botanical Garden. Boston ivy, (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) comes from Japan and China, not Massachusetts. English ivy and Boston ivy are available in multiple cultivars, all capable of producing flowers.

Flowers

• Grape ivy flowers are greenish, but fail to stand out amid the plant's foliage. English ivy adult specimens generate clusters resembling an umbrella of green-white flowers. Juvenile individuals do not flower. Persian ivy, also called Bullock's heart ivy, has groupings of green-white flowers on the adult plants. Boston ivy's flowers are hard to see because of the dense foliage. They are greenish-white.

Flowering Times

• Grape ivy is a seasonal bloomer in North America due to its tropical nature. Any flowers develop appear in summer. English ivy is a late bloomer with its flowers opening during September and October. Persian ivy has flowers adorning its adult vines during September and October. Boston ivy blooms at the end of spring or the start of summer.

Flower to Fruit

• These ivy plants grow well in the shade, making it even more difficult to see their flowers. The resulting ivy fruits have some ornamental function. The bluish fruits of the Boston ivy are visible after its leaves come off the vine, according to the University of Connecticut Plant Database. English ivy berries are toxic to humans, but birds can eat them with no harmful effects. The flowers of the ivy species are important to the plant in that they eventually give rise to seeds. Birds that eat the resulting berries then spread the seeds elsewhere.