Plants That Look Like Virginia Creepers

Native Desirable Look-alikes

• Virginia creeper looks much like the native climbing hydrangea, Decumaria barbara, according to Virginia Tech. Both have leaves that are shiny green above, but pale below. Virginia creeper, however, doesn't have showy flowers like the white, 2- to 4-inch fragrant flower clusters on the hydrangea. The hydrangea is also a bit more restrained, reaching only 40 feet, rather than the 50-foot reach of the Virginia creeper.

Native Undesirable Look-alikes

• Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) is a native often confused with Virginia creeper. The young Virginia creeper shoots may have shiny, alternate leaves with only three leaflets, just like poison ivy. Both have small, greenish flowers, but the poison ivy berries are also greenish, rather than bluish black. The Virginia creeper's leaves, stems and roots don't create the skin irritation that poison ivy's do, but Virginia creeper's berries are poisonous if eaten, warn North Carolina State University faculty in "Poisonous Plants of North Carolina." Although both vines climb rather than twine, the poison ivy vines have hairy stems, notes the New York/New Jersey Trail Conference guide.

Non-native Desirable Look-alikes

• Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) shares the vigorous growth of Virginia creeper, but doesn't have the invasive qualities of English ivy, reports Virginia Tech. Both have alternate, serrated leaves, shiny green above, pale below, and 4 to 8 inches across. Virginia creeper, however, has five compound leaflets, while the Boston ivy can have compound or simple leaves, with just three leaflets or lobes. Both have inconspicuous green flowers in summer that produce small blue-black berries. Both these vines can grow 50 feet, so think carefully about placement.

Non-native Undesirable Look-alikes

• Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is an exotic invasive vine that looks somewhat like Virginia creeper, according to the New York/New Jersey Trail Conference guide. These rampant vines both have shiny leaves, but the bittersweet's are simple rather than compound. The bittersweet vine twines and has distinctive orange berries, making it easy to differentiate from the Virginia creeper even when they've lost their leaves in winter.