Scouting for weeds: Virginia creeper
Editor’s note: This article is from the archives of the MSU Crop Advisory Team Alerts. Check the label of any pesticide referenced to ensure your use is included.
Virginia creeper: Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.) Planch. (view images)
Life cycle: Perennial woody vine.
Leaves: Alternate, palmately compound, usually with five
leaflets, although leaves may consist of three to seven leaflets.
Leaflets have toothed margins and turn deep red in the fall.
Tendrils: Branched three to eight times with adhesive disks at their tips that enable plants to grip and climb vertical surfaces.
Stems: Climbing woody vines with white pith. Young stems are red to green and turn brown with age.
Flowers and fruit: Flowers are small, inconspicuous and green to white. Fruit are small, blue to black, grapelike berries (drupes).
Reproduction: Seeds. Often dispersed by birds. Stems in contact with the ground may root.