Hedera colchica

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Hedera colchica
Hedera colchica0.jpg
Hedera colchica leaves and flowers
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Araliaceae
Genus: Hedera
Species:
H. colchica
Binomial name
Hedera colchica

Hedera colchica is a species of ivy (genus Hedera ) which is native to the Near and Middle East. It is commonly called Persian ivy [1] or colchis ivy. [2] It is an evergreen climbing plant, growing to 30 m high where suitable surfaces (trees, cliffs, walls) are available, and also growing as ground cover where there are no vertical surfaces. It climbs by means of aerial rootlets which cling to the substrate. In warm climates, it grows more rapidly and becomes established faster than other Hedera species.

Contents

Description

The leaves are alternate, they are of two types, with palmately five-lobed juvenile leaves on creeping and climbing stems, and unlobed cordate adult leaves, lauroid type, on fertile flowering stems exposed to full sun, usually high in the crowns of trees or the top of rock faces. Stems are green. It has the largest leaves of any ivy to 15 cm wide and 25 cm long.

The flowers are produced from late summer until late autumn, individually small, greenish, produced in large numbers in umbels, and very rich in nectar, an important food source for bees and other insects. It flowers in September and fruits form during or after winter. The fruits are berries, globular and black when ripe. They are an important food for many birds. There are one to five seeds in each berry, which are dispersed by the birds swallowing the berries. [3]

The following cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:

Ecology

It is a woody evergreen climbing shrub, which can grow in a range of conditions. It prefers well-drained or alkaline soils rich in nutrients and humus with good water provision, but is extremely tough and adaptable. Like many climbing plants, it prefers its roots in cool shade with its crown in full sun. It can live over 400 years, reaching heights of 30m where suitable surfaces (trees, cliffs, walls) are available. It climbs by means of aerial rootlets with matted pads that cling strongly to the substrate. Its favoured distribution is humid microclimates, such as cloud forest, stream valleys, and the mountain ranges on the Turkish coast of the Black Sea, Asia minor, the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and some islands of the Red Sea.

Etymology

The ancient Latin name for Ivy. [7]

Derived from the name ‘Colchis’ or ‘Colchidis’, a Caucasian area once famous for producing poisons. [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Hedera</i> Genus of flowering plants in the family Araliaceae

Hedera, commonly called ivy, is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to Western Europe, Central Europe, Southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and across central-southern Asia east to Japan and Taiwan. Several species are cultivated as climbing ornamentals, and the name ivy especially denotes common ivy, known in North America as "English ivy", which is frequently planted to clothe brick walls.

<i>Juniperus chinensis</i> Species of conifer

Juniperus chinensis, the Chinese juniper, is a species of plant in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to China, Myanmar, Japan, Korea and the Russian Far East. Growing 1–20 metres tall, it is a very variable coniferous evergreen tree or shrub.

<i>Berberis</i> Genus of flowering plants representing the barberry family

Berberis, commonly known as barberry, is a large genus of deciduous and evergreen shrubs from 1–5 m (3.3–16.4 ft) tall, found throughout temperate and subtropical regions of the world. Species diversity is greatest in South America and Asia; Europe, Africa and North America have native species as well. The best-known Berberis species is the European barberry, Berberis vulgaris, which is common in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and central Asia, and has been widely introduced in North America. Many of the species have spines on the shoots and all along the margins of the leaves.

<i>Parthenocissus quinquefolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Parthenocissus quinquefolia, known as Virginia creeper, Victoria creeper, five-leaved ivy, or five-finger, is a species of flowering vine in the grape family, Vitaceae. It is native to eastern and central North America, from southeastern Canada and the eastern United States west to Manitoba and Utah, and south to eastern Mexico and Guatemala.

<i>Hedera hibernica</i> Species of vine

Hedera hibernica, the Atlantic ivy, Boston ivy or Irish ivy, is a species of ivy native to the Atlantic coast of Europe.

<i>Hedera helix</i> Species of flowering plant

Hedera helix, the common ivy, European ivy, or just ivy, is a species of flowering plant in the family Araliaceae. It is native to most of Europe and parts of western Asia. Ivy is a clinging evergreen vine that grows on tree trunks, walls, and fences in gardens, waste spaces, and wild habitats. Ivy is popular as an ornamental plant, but escaped plants have become naturalised outside its native range. Ivy has considerable cultural significance and symbolism.

<i><span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> Fatshedera</i> Intergeneric hybrid between Hedera helix and Fatsia japonica

× Fatshedera is hybrid genus of flowering plants, common name tree ivy or aralia ivy. It has only one species, × Fatshedera lizei. The hybrid symbol × in front of the name indicates that this is an inter-generic hybrid, a cross between plants from different genera. The name may be displayed with or without a space after the × symbol.

<i>Fatsia japonica</i> Species of plant

Fatsia japonica, also fatsi, paperplant, false castor oil plant, or Japanese aralia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Araliaceae, native to southern Japan and southern Korea.

<i>Euonymus fortunei</i> Species of flowering plant

Euonymus fortunei, the spindle, Fortune's spindle, winter creeper or wintercreeper, is a species of flowering plant in the family Celastraceae, native to east Asia, including China, Korea, the Philippines and Japan. E. fortunei is highly invasive and damaging in the United States, causing the death of trees and forest in urban areas.

<i>Heptapleurum taiwanianum</i> Species of flowering plant

Heptapleurum taiwanianum is a species of flowering plant in the family Araliaceae, native to Taiwan, where it is scattered throughout coniferous forests at 2,000–3,000 m (6,600–9,800 ft). Growing to 4 m (13 ft) tall by 2.5 m (8.2 ft) broad, it is an evergreen shrub or small tree. Large leaves up to 15 cm (5.9 in) long are composed of up to 11 ovate leaflets arranged radially around a central stalk. Young leaves are covered in silver hairs, while mature leaves have a smooth surface. Sprays of flowers in late summer are followed by dark berries in winter - a valued food source for insects and birds.

<i>Cyclamen hederifolium</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae

Cyclamen hederifolium, the ivy-leaved cyclamen or sowbread, is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae. This widespread cyclamen species is widely cultivated and among the most hardy and vigorous in oceanic climates. It is native to woodland, shrubland, and rocky areas in the Mediterranean region from southern France to western Turkey and on Mediterranean islands, and naturalized farther north in Europe and in the Pacific Northwest.

<i>Hedera algeriensis</i> Species of vine

Hedera algeriensis, the Algerian ivy, is a species of evergreen ivy native to the North African coast, including coastal mountains in Algeria.

<i>Hedera canariensis</i> Species of vine

Hedera canariensis, the Canary Island ivy, Canary ivy or Madeira ivy, is a species of ivy, native to the Canary Islands and possibly the Atlantic coast of northern Africa.

Hedera maderensis, the Madeiran ivy, is a species of ivy which is native to the Atlantic coast in Madeira island. It is a plant of botanical family Araliaceae, species endemic to the island of Madeira with the name: Hedera maderensis. Formerly a subspecies named Hedera maderensis iberica, one iberian subspecies in west Iberian peninsula was subsequently classified as a distinct species. It is quite common in Madeira and lives in slopes rock, soil, trunks of trees especially in Laurel forest of Barbusano.

<i>Hedera maroccana</i> Species of vine

Hedera maroccana, the Moroccan ivy, is a species of ivy which is native to the Atlantic coast in northern Africa. It is an evergreen climbing plant, growing to 20–30 m high where suitable surfaces are available, and also growing as ground cover where there are no vertical surfaces. It climbs by means of aerial rootlets which cling to the substrate. In warm climates, it grows more rapidly and becomes established a good bit faster than the related Hedera hibernica and Hedera helix.

<i>Hedera iberica</i> Species of vine

Hedera iberica is a species of ivy which is native to the western Iberian peninsula, and northern Morocco. It was formerly classified as a sub-species named Hedera maderensis iberica in Hedera maderensis. The Iberian subspecies was subsequently classified as a distinct species. It grows on slopes, rock, soil, trunks of trees.

<i>Hedera azorica</i> Species of vine

Hedera azorica, the Azores ivy, is a species of ivy which is native to the Atlantic coast in the Azores Islands. It is an evergreen climbing plant, growing to 20–30 m high where suitable surfaces are available, and grows as ground cover where there are no vertical surfaces. It climbs by means of aerial rootlets which cling to the substrate.

<i>Hedera cypria</i> Species of vine

Hedera cypria is a species of Ivy which is endemic to the island of Cyprus. The species is a climbing plant. It is natively found in higher altitudes in Cyprus. H. cypria has unique trichomes and fruits to separate it from closely related plants. It is not considered an invasive ivy where it is found in the United States.

<i>Hedera rhombea</i> Species of vine

Hedera rhombea, the Japanese ivy or songak, is a species of ivy in the Araliaceae family native to East Asia. Formerly named Hedera pedunculata, some subspecies could be subsequently classified as a distinct species. It is common on rocky slopes and growing up the trunks of trees, especially in laurel forest, a type of cloud forest.

<i>Hedera pastuchovii</i> Species of vine

Hedera pastuchovii, (Araliaceae) is a species of ivy native to eastern Transcaucasia and listed in The Red Book of the Azerbaijan SSR, 1989.

References

  1. "Persian Ivy". BBC website.
  2. 1 2 "Hedera colchica AGM". Royal Horticultural Society. Archived from the original on 2019-12-10. Retrieved 2013-04-07.
  3. "Plant of the Week on www.davisla.wordpress.com". 24 January 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
  4. "Hedera colchica 'Dentata' AGM". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 2013-04-07.
  5. "Hedera colchica 'Dentata Variegata' (v) AGM". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 2013-04-07.
  6. "Hedera colchica 'Sulphur Heart' (v) AGM". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 2013-04-07.
  7. 1 2 Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. ISBN   9780521866453 (hardback), ISBN   9780521685535 (paperback). pp 114, 193