Plant · P-1052

Virginia Creeper

Parthenocissus quinquefolia

A vigorous deciduous vine with palmate five-leaflet foliage that climbs walls, trees and fences unaided, using adhesive holdfast disks at the tips of its tendrils. Leaves turn brilliant purple and crimson in autumn, and dark blue-black berries feed songbirds, squirrels and other wildlife through fall and winter. The fruit is toxic to humans if eaten, and established growth on a building needs periodic trimming to keep it off gutters, shutters and wiring. It tolerates soil pH from strongly acid to strongly alkaline and its roots run shallow and are often exposed at the surface.