by Jeffrey S. Pippen | Back to Jeff's Plant Page | Jeff's Nature Pages
Vitaceae > Parthenocissus | |
Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) Orange Co., NC 24 June 2009 Common statewide in a variety of mostly forested habitats in North Carolina. Virginia Creeper is easily recognized by its palmately compound leaves with five leaflets. No other vine in our area has similar leaves. | |
Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) Orange Co., NC 24 June 2009 Immature fruit cluster is shown here. When mature, the berries will be purplish-blue and toxic to humans. | |
Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) Orange Co., NC 24 June 2009 This vine is sprawling along some pine branches in the canopy of the tree. The photo was taken from a research tower that goes into the treetops | |
Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) Ocracoke Island, NC 2 Aug 2009 | |
Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) Ocracoke Island, NC 2 Aug 2009 Clusters of unripe fruits. | |
Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) Wake Co., NC 30 May 2010 | |
Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) Orange Co., NC 24 June 2009 Another distinctive trait exhibited by Virginia Creeper is its "suction cup-like" pads at the ends of the tendril tips, which help attach the vine to its host. |
Annotated habitat and distribution information listed above is from Radford, Ahles, & Bell. 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. UNC Press; and from personal observations and discussions with Will Cook, Harry LeGrand, and Bob Wilbur. Common names from personal experience and supplemented by the following resources USDA plants website, Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia, and NatureServe.
Created on ... Feb 9, 2008 | jeffpippen9@gmail.com