Persian Ivy has attractive, large, thick, leathery leaves that will form a dense ground cover and is a good alternative for shady areas where grass will not grow. It can be mowed with a rotary mower set on high. It can also be trained to a trellis, arbor, wall or topiary form. and is a good choice to control erosion on slopes or hills. It is not reliably frost-hardy and should be mulched heavily in colder regions. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Persian ivy may be subject to damage by leaf spots, mites, slugs, and snails.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter
Soil pH
Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Wet
Available space
6-feet-12 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 30 ft. 0 in. - 70 ft. 0 in. | Width: 10 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
6 - Vine (vertical)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Climbing; Multi-stemmed; Spreading
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf shape
Cordate; Ovate
Leaf margin
Dentate
Leaf feel
Leathery
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, > 6 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The leaves on the climbing stems are palmately five-lobed juvenile leaves. The leaves on the flowering stems are unlobed cordate adult leaves. Leaves are up to 6 inches wide and 10 inches long.
Flower color
Green; White
Flower form
Insignificant; Umbel
Flower detail
Flowers are individually small, greenish, produced in large numbers in umbels, and very rich in nectar. Blooms late summer to fall.
Bloom time
Fall
Fruit color
Black; Blue
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit detail
Round black berries when ripe in winter. Birds disperse the seeds.
Stem color
Brown/Copper
Stem detail
Brown stems with aerial rootlets for clinging
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Western Caucasus, northern Turkey
Wildlife value
black fruits are eaten by birds, bees are attracted to flowers.
Attracts
Bees; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Winter
Fruit type
Berry
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container; Naturalized Area; Rock Wall; Slope/Bank; Vertical Spaces