4. Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Linnaeus) Planchon in A. L. P. P. de Candolle and C. de Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 5: 448. 1887.
[F W]
Virginia creeper, hiedra, parra, vigne vierge à cinq folioles Virginia creeper, hiedra, parra, vigne vierge à cinq folioles
Hedera quinquefolia Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 202. 1753; Ampelopsis quinquefolia (Linnaeus) Michaux; Parthenocissus hirsuta (Pursh) Graebner; P. inserta (A. Kerner) Fritsch; P. quinquefolia var. murorum (Focke) Rehder; Psedera quinquefolia (Linnaeus) Greene; Vitis inserta A. Kerner; V. quinquefolia (Linnaeus) Lamarck
Lianas, high climbing or scrambling. Tendrils 4–12-branched, with adhesive discs. Leaves palmately compound; petiole ± equaling blade; leaflets (4–)5(–7), dull adaxially, obovate to elliptic, 6–12 × 2–5 cm, thin, herbaceous, base cuneate, margins coarsely serrate, usually distally, apex acuminate, surfaces glabrous or abaxial puberulent. Inflorescences divergently branched, with distinct central axis. Flowers greenish to reddish green. Berries globose, 4–8 mm diam. 2n = 40.
Flowering May–Jun; fruiting Aug–Sep. Open woods, prairie ravines, rocky banks and ledges, thickets, fencerows, roadsides, waste places; 0–1500 m; N.B., N.S., Ont., P.E.I., Que., Sask.; Ala., Ark., Colo., Conn., Del., D.C., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., La., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Miss., Mo., Mont., Nebr., N.H., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Okla., Pa., R.I., S.C., S.Dak., Tenn., Tex., Utah, Vt., Va., W.Va., Wis.; e Mexico; West Indies (Bahamas, Cuba), Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala).
The leaves of Parthenocissus quinquefolia are usually (4–)5(–6)-foliolate. Specimens with 7-foliolate leaves have been collected from sandy areas in Dare County, North Carolina. This species appears to be introduced in most, if not all, of its range in Canada and in Colorado, Montana, and Utah.