Kingdom Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Family Araliaceae – Ginseng family
Genus Hedera L. – ivy
Species Hedera helix L. – English ivy



Form:

A low spreading ground cover that can also climb high onto buildings and trees
using aerial roots.


Leaf:
Alternate leaf arrangement, simple, leathery evergreen foliage, 2 to 4 inches long.
Shiny dark green to blue green above with pale veins and lighter green below;
leaves on flowering branches are lobed or unlobed and ovate.

Juvenile leaves are 3 to 5 lobed, light green and alternately arranged.
Juvenile stage last for about 10 years. Most English ivy in the trade is in its juvenile form and is therefore vine-like, usually with lobed leaves, without flowers and easy to root.

Very old specimens of English ivy trained on walls or trees will often develop to the
mature form which results in thickened-erect stems, non-lobed leaves, flowers
and difficult-to-root branches leaves are not lobed or slightly lobed,
but more diamond shaped to rounded.

Flower:
Perfect, small, greenish white, in round clusters; appearing in fall.


Fruit:

 Round black drupes, 1/4 inch across; ripen over winter.


Twig:

 Slender, light green but later turning light brown with aerial rootlets.


Bark:

 Light brown, slightly rough and fine scales with numerous rootlets at the nodes.
On old plants the bark is light brown, with shallow ridges and furrows,
typically only observed where the plant has grown up a tree trunk or other structure.


Reproduction:

 Bloom Period is late spring, during the juvenile stage ivy only spreads vegetatively;
stem fragments in contact with the soil can regenerate growth.  Mature plants continue with a slower vegetative spread, but they also produce flowers and spread by seed.


Landscape Use:

 Used for decorations as groundcover, as wall covering, and as a climbing vine.
 Especially the darker sides of buildings or under trees, climbing up a large tree trunk for shady locations.


HOW DID IT GET IN FOREST PARKS?

English Ivy was brought by early settlers to Pacific Northwest. It was used in gardens and for landscaping and escaped from home sites to the forest environment.


Known Hazards:

 The plant is said to be poisonous in large doses although the leaves are
eaten with impunity by various mammals without any noticeable harmful affects.


Medicinal Uses:

     
This plant should only be used under the supervision of a qualified practitioner.
Caution is advised if it is being used internally since the plant is mildly toxic.
Excessive doses destroy red blood cells and cause irritability, diarrhea and vomiting.
Has been noted as antibacterial, antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, cathartic,
diaphoretic, emetic, emmenagogue, parasiticide, stimulant, vasoconstrictor,
vasodilator, and vermifuge.

Other Uses:

 Dye; Ground Cover; Hair; Soap; Wood; Fungicide.
A yellow and a brown dye are obtained from the twigs.
A decoction of the leaves is used to restore black fabrics and also as a hair
rinse to darken the hair. If the leaves are boiled with soda they are a soap
substitute for washing clothes etc.
An excellent ground cover for shady places, succeeding even in the dense shade of trees
The successful use of a water extract from ivy (Hedera helix) to control apple scab was
reported in Switzerland some years ago. Ivy contains compounds, which showed fungicidal effect
against spores of V. inaequalis.