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Parthenocissus tricuspidata (Boston Ivy) - This large plant, most popularly known for covering the brick buildings on Ivy League college campuses, is a deciduous vine that quickly makes a thick mat on any type of support. The leaves are variable in shape but usually they have three serrated lobes and in fall the leaves turn scarlet red. The greenish white flowers in late spring to early summer and hidden in the foliage and black berries that follow are also hidden until the plant goes deciduous.
Plant in sun or shade, water regularly. Hardy to USDA Zone 4. This plant should not be grown on wood or shingle walls because the holdfasts are difficult to remove,.
The name Parthenocissus comes from Greek word 'parthenos' meaning "virgin" and 'kissos' (Latinized as 'cissus"), an ancient name for an ivy-like vine. The reasons given for this name vary with some believing it comes from the fact that some species in the genus form seeds without pollination (Apomixis) or that the scientific name actually was in reference to the English common name "Virginia creeper" for this plant since Virginia was named for Queen Elizabeth I, also known as the the "Virgin Queen". The specific epithet is from the Latin words 'tri' meaning "three" and 'cuspidatus' meaning "with a sharp point" referring to the three sharply-pointed leaf lobes. We grew this vine from 1994 until 2013 and it still covers part of an old wooden barn on the nursery property.
The information about Parthenocissus tricuspidata that is displayed on this web page is based on research conducted in our nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We will also include observations made about this plant as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens that we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We also incorporate comments that we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they share cultural information that aids others growing this plant.
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