Virginia Creeper, Another Native Vine
By Susan Camp
Last week I wrote about trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans), an insidious native invader that will overtake and smother any other plant in its vicinity. Another native vine that can cause problems for property owners is Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), although it is less aggressive and easier to control. Virginia creeper, however, will climb trees and power poles, cover fences, and snake its way up the sides of houses and barns, just like trumpet creeper and non-native English ivy.
A woody, deciduous vine, Virginia creeper is a member of the grape family. It grows well in the eastern United States and Mexico in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 9. Each Virginia creeper plant can grow to a length of 10 to 50 feet, and occasionally up to 100 feet with a spread of 5 to 10 feet. It grows easily in a variety of soils with medium moisture and good drainage. It prefers full sun to part shade, but will grow in deep woodland shade. Virginia creeper often grows along stream banks, roadsides, railroad tracks, and other disturbed areas. It makes an attractive cover for fences, trellises, pergolas, and arbors. In the woods, it will form a heavy ground cover.
Virginia creeper attaches to vertical surfaces by tendrils that terminate in adhesive discs, sometimes called holdfasts or sucker discs. Because the suckers do not take root, they will not damage masonry; however, they are difficult to remove from shingles and wood. They will mar paint and can damage eaves, shutters, and gutters.
Virginia creeper offers three-season interest. Five serrated, oblong leaflets up to 6 inches long make up each compound palmate (hand-shaped) leaf. In spring, leaves are purple, bronze, or green, changing to deep green on the upper surface and lighter green underneath during the summer. Fall leaf color is purple or brilliant crimson.
In late spring, panicles of inconspicuous white flowers bloom, but are mostly hidden by the leaves. The flowers develop into fleshy, purplish-black 3/8 inch berries that are eaten by finches, nuthatches, chickadees, and other birds.
Virginia creeper can be propagated by seed, cuttings, or layering. When it grows as a groundcover, the vine will develop new roots every few feet at the leaf nodes.
The vines become woody as they mature. Unlike trumpet creeper, Virginia creeper is easily pulled from the ground. Vines can be pruned vigorously at any season to maintain control.
Virginia creeper is tolerant of drought, clay soil, deer, and juglone, the chemical produced by black walnut trees. Scale, leafhoppers, and Japanese and other beetles attack Virginia creeper. It is a larval host of the Virginia creeper sphinx moth (Darapsa myron). Diseases include leaf spot, mildews, wilt, and canker. A negative aspect of Virginia creeper is its toxicity. The plant tissues contain needle-like crystals of calcium oxalate called raphides that cause skin irritation in susceptible individuals. When the berries or other plant parts are ingested, the calcium oxalate crystals damage the tissues of the mouth and throat. Symptoms include numbness, burning, and swelling that can lead to serious breathing difficulty. As the raphides move through the digestive system, severe gastrointestinal symptoms occur. A helpful resource on toxic plants is the Virginia Master Naturalist publication “The Socrates Project: Poisonous Plants in Virginia.”
Virginia creeper sometimes is mistaken for poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans). Poison ivy leaves always have three leaflets; Virginia creeper leaves usually have five leaflets, although occasionally the number will be three or seven. The two plants often grow together, so the gardener should take care when pruning or removing Virginia creeper. In fact, it is wise to wear gloves and protective clothing when working in heavy vegetation. Aside from plant toxicity, all sorts of critters could be lurking or living among the vines.
More detailed information on Virginia creeper is found in the Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder entry “Parthenocissus quinquefolia); the University of Wisconsin-Madison Master Gardener Program article “Virginia Creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia”; and the www.wildflower.org Plant Database entry “Parthenocissus quinquefolia.”
August 1, 2019