Boston Ivy or Japanese Creeper

(Vitaceae - Grape Family)

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• Form
  • large climbing semi-woody vine
  • maturing at least to the height and width of the structure upon which it climbs, sometimes over 100'
  • climbing vine growth habit
  • rapid growth rate (3' to 10' per year once established)

• Culture
  • full sun to full shade
  • prefers full sun to partial sun in moist, well-drained soils, but is tolerant of a wide range of urban stresses, including heat, drought, high light reflection, poor soils, thin soils, compacted soils, restricted root zones, soils of variable pH, and heavy pruning
  • propagated by seeds or rooted stem cuttings
  • Grape Family, with virtually no disease or pest problems of significance
  • moderate availability, usually as a young vine staked or trellised in containers

• Foliage
  • emerging bronzed, changing to a medium then dark green, with very glossy upper surfaces, to 6" wide
  • each leaf has three prominent lobes, or sometimes is so deeply sinuate that it forms three leaflets at the top of the petiole
  • coarsely serrated (almost dentate), having acuminate apices on the lobes, with a 4" long petiole, and with the leaf blades parallel to the structure upon which the vine is climbing
  • brilliant glossy yellow, orange, scarlet, crimson, and/or wine fall color begins in September and abscises in October, sometimes with the petioles remaining attached for a week or two to the stems after the leaflets have abscised

• Flowers
  • small and greenish, usually hidden by the foliage, in June and July and ornamentally insignificant

• Fruits
  • clusters of very small bluish-black grape-like fruits, hidden by the foliage until Autumn leaf abscission, and ornamentally insignificant
  • maturing in September and October and quickly eaten by the birds, which aids in its dispersal as an occasional weedy vine

• Twigs
  • young stems are thin at their termini, with tendrils containing holdfasts for anchoring the vine to its stone, brick, wood, or bark attachment as it climbs
  • second-year stems are heavily lenticeled and bumpy, having sunken (concave) leaf scars from the previous season's foliage attachment sites

• Trunk
  • twisting and exfoliating in very thin strips, and much-branched at its base

• ID Summary
  • vine that climbs by holdfasts on or over many types of structures (with walls being the most common)
  • three-lobed or trifoliate glossy green Summer foliage covers the vigorously climbing stems, turning warm shades of spectacular fall color in Autumn
  • miniature grape-like fruits are hidden by the foliage but are readily eaten by the birds
  • tendrils (that attach the stems via suction-cup holdfasts to the supportive structure) are shorter, and stems are thinner, than those of Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia Creeper)

• Function
  • structural cover for climbing building walls, garden arbors, or large trellises, but can also ramble over short walls, along the ground, or climb trees

• Texture
  • medium-bold texture in foliage and fine texture when bare
  • thick density in foliage and when bare

• Assets
  • rapid and aggressive growth rate (this can be a liability for mature vines)
  • dense foliage that is glossy dark green in Summer, with spectacular fall color in shades of yellow and red
  • stems have numerous holdfasts that securely anchor it to its supportive structure, unlike some vines that climb by twining

• Liabilities
  • aggressive spread will rapidly cover windows, doors, wire mesh screens, etc. in a single season if these structures are in reach, and the vine may therefore need annual or bi-annual pruning away from these structures

• Habitat
  • zones 5 to 8
  • native to Japan and Central China

• Alternates
  • large and vigorous vines with a solid anchoring system, and especially utilized for the cover of stone or brick buildings in environmental conditions ranging from full sun to full shade (Hedera helix, Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
  • climbing vines with excellent fall color (Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Rhus radicans [the latter being Poison Ivy, of course])

• Variants
  • several cultivars have been selected based upon foliage size, shape, and specific Autumn color, but the species form is most commonly available

• Translation
  • Parthenocissus translates as from the Greek as "virgin ivy", referring to Virginia Creeper, the other prominent species in the genus.
  • tricuspidata translates as "three-pointed" in reference to the leaves of Boston Ivy.

• Purpose
  • Boston Ivy is a lush vine, clinging tightly to its supportive structure, with glossy dark green Summer foliage and rich yellow, red, or burgandy Autumn foliage.

• Summary
  • Parthenocissus tricuspidata is known as a showy climbing vine for walls (such as Wrigley Field in Chicago) or the walls of large buildings, having glossy Summer tri-lobed foliage and a spectacular yellow to scarlet fall color.