Harman Patil (Editor)

Hedera colchica

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Kingdom
  
Family
  
Scientific name
  
Hedera colchica

Rank
  
Species

Order
  
Genus
  
Higher classification
  
Ivy

Hedera colchica Ivy Hedera colchica

Similar
  
Ivy, Hedera hibernica, Hedera canariensis, Hedera algeriensis, Araliaceae

Hedera colchica is a species of ivy (genus Hedera) which is native to Near and Middle East. It is commonly called Persian ivy or colchis ivy. It is an evergreen climbing plant, growing to 30 m high where suitable surfaces (trees, cliffs, walls) are available, and also growing as ground cover where there are no vertical surfaces. It climbs by means of aerial rootlets which cling to the substrate. In warm climates, it grows more rapidly and becomes established faster than other Hedera species.

Contents

Hedera colchica Bullock39s Heart Ivy Persian Ivy Hedera colchica 39Sulphur Heart39

Description

Hedera colchica TrekNature Hedera colchica Photo

The leaves are alternate, they are of two types, with palmately five-lobed juvenile leaves on creeping and climbing stems, and unlobed cordate adult leaves, lauroid type, on fertile flowering stems exposed to full sun, usually high in the crowns of trees or the top of rock faces. Stems are green. It has the largest leaves of any ivy to 15 cm wide and 25 cm long.

Hedera colchica Hedera colchica 39Dentata Variegata39 Hedera colchica 39Dentata

The flowers are produced from late summer until late autumn, individually small, greenish, produced in large numbers in umbels, and very rich in nectar, an important food source for bees and other insects. It flowers in September and fruits form during or after winter. The fruits are berries, globular and black when ripe. They are an important food for many birds. There are one to five seeds in each berry, which are dispersed by the birds swallowing the berries.

The following cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:

Hedera colchica httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

  • H. colchica
  • 'Dentata', commonly called Bullock's heart ivy, or Elephant's ears.
  • 'Dentata variegata', synonyms 'Dentata aurea', 'Variegata'
  • 'Sulphur heart', synonym 'Paddy's pride'
  • Ecology

    Hedera colchica Hedera colchica 39Dentata39 elephant39s earsRHS Gardening

    It is a woody evergreen climbing shrub, which can grow in a range of conditions. It prefers well-drained or alkaline soils rich in nutrients and humus with good water provision, but is extremely tough and adaptable. Like many climbing plants, it prefers its roots in cool shade with its crown in full sun. It can live over 400 years, reaching heights of 30m where suitable surfaces (trees, cliffs, walls) are available. It climbs by means of aerial rootlets with matted pads that cling strongly to the substrate. Its favoured distribution is humid microclimates, such as cloud forest, stream valleys, and the mountain ranges on the Turkish coast of the Black Sea, Asia minor, the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and some islands of the Red Sea.

    Hedera colchica Hedera colchica Paddy39s Pride Ivy Dobbies Garden Centres

    Hedera colchica Hedera colchica Dentata Variegata Ivy Dobbies Garden Centres

    References

    Hedera colchica Wikipedia


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