Ivy Will Cling

Believed to be unlucky indoors at any time except the Christmas season, unfortunately most will be more familiar with plastic imitations churned out by Chinese factories than the real McCoy. 

What is simply known as ‘ivy,’ Hedera helix may be camouflaged under such names as English ivy, European ivy, even common ivy. Native to Europe and Western Asia, it was known to the Romans by its now botanical name, Hedera. In more recent times it has proliferated into some 500 named cultivars, not all exactly welcome in many parts of the world where it may flourish.

In its native habitat it spreads with vigour in moist woods, hedgerows and cliffs where ever it is shaded from direct sunlight to avoid winter drying. There it will climb anything convenient, supported by means of prolific aerial rootlets with matted pads – adventitious roots. Scrambling up such support, it will display two leaf forms. The familiar ‘ivy-shaped’ or five-lobed are lower down When the vines reach sunlight, however, a different form is produced, unlobed leaves. At such heights, the ivy sets forth its insignificant flowers. These are followed by black, sometimes red or orange berries eaten by birds that then disperse the seeds.

All these attributes have attracted both amateur and professional gardeners. Ivy in its many forms has found use as a groundcover, wallcovering, and scrambling up tree trunks. It is also valued in container gardening, hanging baskets, and as a houseplant. Outdoors, however, it can cause serious damage clinging to brick, stone or woodwork. It may also harbour pests, especially yellow jacket wasps although can also attracts birds as a concealed nesting site.

In the home, many cultivars are on offer as trailing houseplants. They require bright light, but not direct sun, along with even moisture, while disliking overwatering. Regrettably, indoors ivies seem particularly prone to infestation by the notorious spider mites, often the cause of their demise.

Unfortunately, Hedera helix is considered an invasive weed in Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Northwest and Southern United States. In these latter though this has been vigorously contested by The American Ivy Society, Inc., of Pine Forge, Pennsylvania. They do warn, however, that all parts, especially leaves and berries, are poisonous to pets. This fact does not seem to have discouraged its extensive use in folk medicine.

There are other species of Hedera, in fact  eleven in all. Almost all are only of interest to botanists and taxonomists. Irish Ivy, Hedera hibernica, is the largest of all ivies. more vigorous and dense than English Ivy. It flourishes close to the Atlantic coasts of Europe, and anywhere elsewhere the climate is suitably mild, moist and humid. Further south, on the Atlantic coasts of the Canary Islands and North Africa grows the Canarian Ivy, Hedera canariensis. 

The popularity of the original ivy has resulted in many a confusing popular misname.  Boston Ivy, Parthenocissus tricuspidata, is in fact native to Japan and Korea, German Ivy, Senecia mikniodes, to Southern Africa. Swedish Ivy, Plectranthus species and cultivars, never started out in Sweden while the Devil’s Ivy, Epidendrum aureum, did not arise from the underworld although some gardeners from the tropics and subtropics may suspect this. For them it is a highly invasive weed. In more temperate climes, also unwelcome is Poison Ivy, Rhus radicans. The resemblance of the foliage of some popular plants has also resulted in their being declared ivies, as in the Ivy-leaved Geranium, Pelargonium peltatum and Ivy-leaved Violet, Viola hederacea. Then there are obnoxious weeds, such as Ground Ivy, Glechoma hederacea.

In the northeastern United States, well-established advanced seats of education are known as ‘Ivy League’ colleges. Leave it to graduate of one such, mathematician and lyricist Tom Lehrer to puncture them in his Bright College Days, with his, “Ivy-covered professors in ivy-covered halls.”

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