Virginia creeper (Plants of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque)

Virginia creeper

Parthenocissus quinquefolia

Summary ⁷

Parthenocissus quinquefolia, known as Virginia creeper, is a species of flowering plant in the grape family. It is native to eastern and central North America. It is a woody, deciduous, fast-growing vine that is similar in characteristics to the more nefarious poison ivy. The plant is hearty and known to tolerate most soils and climatic conditions.

Botanical Information ⁸

Virginia creeper has palmately compound leaves with five leaflets. It is native to some areas of the United States. Virginia creeper can grow at any time of year and may grow out of control because it spreads its roots and regrows easily. In areas that get frost the leaves may fall off during colder temperatures. There are purple berries that grow during August through October. It is able to grow in all different soil conditions from wetland to dry soil, but prefers moist soil. Virginia creeper belongs to the plant kingdom, Magnoliopsida class, Rhamnales order, and the Vitaceae family. It is in the Parthenoessus genus and the quinquefolia species. Quinquefolia means five leafed plant.

Ecological Information ⁹

Virginia creeper usually grows in forest environments. It thrives in moist soil conditions in partial shade to full sun. Animals that eat this plant are mice, skunk, chipmunks, cattle, deer and most birds. Animals may also use Virginia creeper as cover and nesting. Virgina creeper can also be used for erosion control.

Ethnobotanical Information ¹⁰

It can be used to soothe poison ivy rashes. To soothe the rashes you would have to liquefy or mash up the leaves and apply it on the rash. This will help soothe it. Also the twigs and bark have been known to be made into cough syrups and the roots have been used for diarrhea. As documented in the Native American Ethnobotany Database, the Jemez Publeo has used the berry juices to mix with clay to dye it purple and used for ceremonial body paint. (Note: Ethnobotanical reports often lack important contextual information and relevant traditional ecological knowledge.)

References ¹¹

Beaulieu, D. (2021, March 28). Virginia Creeper Plant Profile. The Spruce. Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://www.thespruce.com/taxonomy-of-virginia-creeper-2132897

Grieve, M. (1995). Virginia Creeper. A Modern Herbal. Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/v/virgin14.html

Native American Ethnobotany Database. (n.d.). Vitaceae Parthenocissus vitacea.
Retrieved November 18, 2021, from http://naeb.brit.org/uses/25557/

Plants for a Future. (n.d). Parthenocissus quinquefolia. Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Parthenocissus+quinquefolia

United States Department of Agriculture. (2014). Parthenocissus quinquefolia. In
PLANTS Database. Retrieved November 18, 2021, from https://plants.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=PAQU2

About the Author ¹⁰

Student author(s)*: Oscar (age 13) from South Valley Academy

*The entries in this field guide have been edited by Yerba Mansa Project staff to ensure that they contain quality, fact-checked content and standardized formatting. https://yerbamansaproject.org/

Sources and Credits

(c) Andreas Rockstein, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/74738817@N07/28852003751/
(c) Andreas Rockstein, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/74738817@N07/29963762911/
(c) Nick Beck, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/35518067@N06/3350105626
(c) Andreas Rockstein, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/74738817@N07/37394692652/
(c) Andreas Rockstein, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/74738817@N07/27334355513/
(c) Andreas Rockstein, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/74738817@N07/24486460058/
Adapted by Kiley Spurlock from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenocissus_quinquefolia
Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) kristen_himm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Adapted by Kiley Spurlock from a work by (c) smiller33, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) smiller33, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Adapted by Kiley Spurlock from a work by (c) kristen_himm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

Range Map

iNat Map

Berry	purple
Uses	medicinal
Type	vine
Life cycle	perennial
Habitat	Woodlands and rocky banks
Native	no

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