Japanese Ivy climbs on trees, cliffs, and walls by aerial rootlets that cling to the surface. It is also grown as a ground cover where no vertical surfaces are available. Leaves are green or variegated with white and have purple-red stems.
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) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Growth rate
Rapid
Canopy layer
6 - Vine (vertical)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Climbing; Erect
Texture
Coarse
Leaf shape
Rhomboidal
Hairs present
No
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Flower form
Insignificant
Flower detail
small, greenish-yellow, gathered in large numbers in erect umbel
Fruit color
Black
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Temp. Eastern Asia
Food & Medicine
Uses (ethnobotany)
Ivy fruits and leaves contain a saponin, hederin, which although poisonous can be used medically for the treatment of respiratory disorders because it is a spasmolytic and expectorant.
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container; Naturalized Area; Rock Wall; Slope/Bank; Vertical Spaces