Page 40 - A Field Guide to Fairfax County's Plants and Wildlife

ginia Creeper

(Parthenocissus quinquefolia)

Description

This perennial, woody, deciduous vine
climbs using tendrils. Small, green,
often unnoticed flowers are produced
May to July. It has dark purple to black
berries in the fall. It is often mistaken
for Poison Ivy. Leaves are alternate and
compound, comprised of five leaflets.
The vine turns a beautiful shade of red
in fall. Plants reproduce by seed and
spread by rooting stems.

Virginia Creeper and Poison Ivy Distribution and Habitat
thrive in the same environment
and are often found growing It is found in all five physiographic
together. Many people confuse provinces. It thrives in partial shade
Virginia Creeper with Poison Ivy. to full sun and is tolerant of many
However, Virginia Creeper leaves soil conditions. It can be found
have five leaflets while Poison Ivy’s growing up trees, along fences and
have three. Remember: “Leaves of on the ground. Although a native
three-let it be. Leaves of five-let it plant to the area, it can outcompete
thrive.” While Virginia Creeper is other ground cover plants and
not poisonous, its berries and sap slowly kill trees that it grows on.
contain oxalic acid. Some people
develop a skin rash when they are Role in Food Web
exposed to this acid.
Many birds including Common
Crows, American Robins and
woodpeckers, and mammals such
as Gray Squirrels, White-tailed Deer,
White-footed Mice, Red Foxes and
skunks feed on this vine.

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