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.

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