Virginia creeper or Boston ivy: how to tell them apart?
Virginia creeper and Boston ivy look alike and are often mixed up. Here is how to tell them apart, feature by feature, with their photos and the details to look for.
⚡ The quick answer
Virginia creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Boston ivy
Parthenocissus tricuspidata
Boston ivy has simple leaves with 3 pointed lobes and clings directly to the support by small adhesive pads, whereas Virginia creeper has compound leaves of 5 leaflets and climbs by tendrils with sucker-like pads.
🍃 Leaves
Deciduous, palmately compound with 5 toothed elliptic leaflets, matt green turning a blazing scarlet red in autumn
Deciduous, simple (not compound, unlike Virginia creeper), with 3 pointed lobes or sometimes entire, bronze at bud break, glossy green in summer, brilliant scarlet red in autumn
🌸 Flowers
Small, greenish, inconspicuous, grouped in cymes in the leaf axils
Small, greenish, barely visible, grouped in cymes
🍎 Fruits
Small blue-black berries with a waxy bloom, grouped in clusters, not edible for humans
Small blue-black berries with a waxy bloom
🪵 Bark
Greyish-brown woody stem with tendrils ending in adhesive pads that cling directly to walls
Woody stem with tendrils bearing powerful adhesive pads that cling directly to stone or concrete
📏 Size
Climber reaching 15 to 20 m
Climber up to 15-20 m
🗺️ Habitat
Walls, facades, pergolas, fences and banks in gardens and towns throughout France; sometimes naturalised at woodland edges
Urban facades, walls, buildings and monuments throughout France, particularly in towns where it covers gable ends and entire facades
⚠️ Toxicity
Berries slightly toxic (calcium oxalate) if ingested; sap irritating to sensitive skin
Berries slightly toxic if ingested
🔎 And from the Boston ivy side
Virginia creeper has leaves compound of 5 palmate leaflets and climbs by tendrils with sucker-like pads, whereas Boston ivy has simple leaves with 3 lobes and clings directly to the wall by small adhesive pads.
🌿 Go further
Want to practise spotting these details on real photos? Floraneo offers profiles and quizzes for dozens of look-alike species.
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.