Variegated English Ivy – Plant

Description

It is a vigorous, large evergreen climber, self-clinging by aerial roots. The stems are reddish, partly decorated with stellate hairs or scales, reddish-starred with about 15 rays. The leaves are alternate and simple. As in other Hedera species, the fertile branches have stiff stems with leaves having usually fewer lobes compared to the sterile (juvenile) stems. The main part of the leaf (the lamina) is oval-rhombic, 12-20 cm by 5–12 cm on flowering branches and coarsely toothed or slightly lobed (3-5 lobes) on the sterile stems. The inflorescence is a cluster of 13-15 pubescent flowers. Small flowers in umbels develop only on the fertile stems or branches. The plant contains the glycoside hederagenin, mostly in the leaves and berries, which could cause a mild toxicosis. If these parts are ingested it may cause severe discomfort, and handling plants may cause skin irritation or an allergic reaction. The plant is rejected by herbivorous animals. Variegated cultivars of Hedera algeriensis are widely used in gardening. It naturalizes in mild climates and lowlan