Leaf
Pierre Bonnet, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Common ivy
Hedera helix L.
Also known as: English ivy, Ivy
Family: Araliaceae
climbing vine or ground cover, able to reach 10 to 15 m high on a support
Woodland, walls, tree trunks
Flowering: September – October
Full sun
Part shade
Shade
Very hardy, to -20°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Two leaf forms on the same plant: lobed when the plant is climbing, entire when it flowers high up.
🍃 Leaves
Lobed with 3-5 points on climbing shoots, entire and ovate on flowering shoots
🌸 Flowers
Small yellow-green umbels, late flowering, very rich in nectar
🍎 Fruits
Black berries in winter, toxic
🪵 Bark
Climbing stems with clinging aerial roots
🗺️ Distribution
Europe; extremely common throughout France, in woodland, on walls and on tree trunks.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Late autumn flowering, an exceptional nectar resource at the end of the season, notably for the ivy bee (Colletes hederae), which is specifically associated with the plant.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Used as ground cover or to clothe walls and facades, also valued for its evergreen foliage.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Berries and leaves toxic if ingested (saponins), causing digestive upset; contact with the sap may irritate the skin.
🌿 Other Araliaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.
© Floraneo — profile content is protected; reproduction without permission is prohibited. Photos remain under their own licence (see the credit shown on each photo).