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Hedera helix, the common ivy, English ivy, European ivy, or just ivy, is a species of flowering plant in the family Araliaceae, native to most of Europe and western Asia. A rampant, clinging evergreen vine, it is a familiar sight in gardens, waste spaces, on walls, tree trunks and in wild areas across its native habitat.

Hedera is the generic term for ivy. The specific epithet helix derives from Ancient Greek "twist, turn" (see: Helix), and from the Latin helicem, "spiral-shaped," first used around 1600.

Synonyms include Hedera acuta, Hedera arborea ("tree ivy"), Hedera baccifera, Hedera grandifolia, bindwood, and lovestone.

Hedera helix is an evergreen climbing plant, growing to 66-98 ft high where suitable surfaces (trees, cliffs, walls) are available, and also growing as groundcover where no vertical surfaces occur. It climbs by means of aerial rootlets with matted pads which cling strongly to the substrate. The ability to climb on surfaces varies with the plants variety and other factors: Hedera helix prefers non-reflective, darker and rough surfaces with near-neutral pH. It generally thrives in a wide range of soil pH with 6.5 being ideal, prefers moist, shady locations and avoids exposure to direct sunlight, the latter promoting drying out in winter.

The leaves are alternate, 2-4 in long, with a 0.6-0.8 in petiole; they are of two types, with palmately five-lobed juvenile leaves on creeping and climbing stems, and unlobed cordate adult leaves on fertile flowering stems exposed to full sun, usually high in the crowns of trees or the top of rock faces.

The flowers are produced from late summer until late autumn, individually small, in 3-to-5 cm-diameter 1.2-to-2.0 in umbels, greenish-yellow, and very rich in nectar, an important late autumn food source for bees and other insects.

One to five seeds are in each berry, which are dispersed after being eaten by birds.

Give credit where credit is due: Wikipedia 2022