Virginia Creeper Identification

Form

• Virginia creeper vines grow between 30 and 50 feet long with a 5- to 10-foot spread, depending upon the structure that the plant is climbing on. The woody part of the vine is tan in color, with exfoliating bark. Branched tendrils grow from the woody vine, and suction cups grow from the ends of the tendrils, allowing the plant to climb without the need for support. The new stems are usually greenish-brown, but they turn brownish-purple as they mature.

Foliage

• Virginia creeper plants have palmate leaves, or leaves shaped like the palm of a hand, which are composed of five individual leaflets that grow outward from a central leaf stem. The dark green leaflets have serrated margins. The foliage changes to a showy red or purple in the fall. This plant bears a strong resemblance to poison ivy and is easily confused, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Guide, but the easiest way to tell the two apart is by looking at the leaves. Virginia creeper has five leaflets, while poison ivy plants have three.

Flowers and Fruit

• Virginia creeper vines produce long-stemmed, drooping clusters of greenish-white flowers during the spring. Each flower cluster is usually between 4 and 6 inches across. The flowers are not especially showy, and they are usually hidden within the plant's thick springtime foliage. Clusters of 1/4-inch-round bluish-black berries replace the flowers during the summer and ripen in the fall. The fruit is dangerously toxic to humans, but birds and other wildlife feed on the berries. Each berry contains between two and three seeds.

Cultivars

• Several different cultivars, or cultivated varieties of Virginia creeper, are commercially available at plant nurseries. Parthenocissus quinquefolia "Monham" has green and cream-colored or white variegated leaves, while the Engelmanni cultivar clings to objects such as trellises and arbors better than the general species. Parthenocissus quinquefolia "Variegata," which has green leaves with yellow markings, changes to red or pink in autumn.

Care

• Virginia creeper is cold-hardy in USDA zones 3 through 9. It adapts well to either full sunlight or full shade, and can tolerate a variety of environmental conditions and soil types. The vines can damage painted surfaces and are difficult to remove once established, and will kill trees or shrubs if it is allowed to climb on them. The plant self-seeds and has a tendency to become invasive. Its sap may irritate the skin of sensitive individuals.