This is a common woody vine (liana) that climbs by tendrils with adhesive-like tips and goes upward without support up on walls, cliffs, trees, shrubs, fences, or trellises, etc. or it can be a groundcover about 2 feet high. In the wild it grows in various upland and bottomland sites, usually in or near woods from the southeast end of Quebec and much of New England down into all of Florida to areas of Texas up to southeast South Dakota to northeast Minnesota & southern Manitoba through much of Wisconsin & Michigan back into the southeast tip of Ontario. It is fast growing of 6 to 10 feet/year. The bluish-black grape-like berries are loved by birds but are toxic to humans. It is a pretty woody vine with handsome palmately compound leves of 5 leaflets that get a wonderful red autumn color. It is sold by some conventional, mail order, and native plant nurseries. There are more of this vine growing around in many landscapes that were planted by seed from the birds than what were planted by mankind.

Reply to this comment

Virginia Creeper is a fast growing deciduous ornamental vine that can attain heights up to 50' and has beautiful deep burgundy foliage in the fall. It is native to Eastern North America, from Canada south to Florida, and west to Texas. This vine can be a nuisance in some regions, as it is here in my Florida garden. It's climbing up the trees, along fences and in some places along the ground.

Reply to this comment

Questions about this plant:

Is it considered invasive, and will it kill trees? I notice it likes to climb up trees and starts to invade the trees canopy. Is that a bad thing?

Is there a male and female version of this plant? I have a plant that looks exactly like this one but it doesn't have those blue coloured berries.

Thanks

1 reply