Plant
Virginia creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Also known as: five-leaved ivy
A native deciduous vine — five-leaflet compound leaves and brilliant scarlet fall foliage. Often confused with poison ivy but distinguishable: Virginia creeper has five leaflets, poison ivy has three. Common across Staten Island climbing trees, walls, and fences. Dark blue-black berries (toxic to humans, eaten by 35+ bird species). One of the borough's most-spectacular vines for fall color.
Scientific
Parthenocissus quinquefolia is a deciduous vine native to eastern North America. Climbs by adhesive disc-tipped tendrils that attach to almost any surface — bark, stone, brick, wood. Compound palmate leaves with five leaflets. Inconspicuous spring flowers; small dark blue-black berries in fall, ripening at the same time leaves turn brilliant scarlet.
Often confused with [[poison-ivy|poison ivy]] (Toxicodendron radicans) due to similar climbing habit and red fall color — but Virginia creeper has five leaflets, [[poison-ivy|poison ivy]] has three. Mnemonic: “Leaves of three, let it be; leaves of five, let it thrive.”
The berries contain oxalic-acid crystals and are toxic to humans (rare but documented poisoning cases) — but are an important wildlife food, eaten by 35+ bird species including robins, brown thrashers, and migrating fall thrushes.
On Staten Island
Common climbing trees, walls, fences, and structures across the borough’s parks and residential areas. Brilliant scarlet fall color is one of the borough’s most-conspicuous fall displays — visible covering tree trunks and stone walls in any older park.
See also
Auto-generated from this entry’s typed relations: frontmatter, grouped by relation type so the editorial signal isn’t flattened.
- Member of: [[plants]]
- Contained by: [[staten-island]]
Sources
- USDA NRCS Plants Database: Virginia creeper
- USDA poisonous-plant references
Rooted in life.
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Scientific
counterpart to
- Poison ivy frequently confused; poison ivy has 3 leaflets, Virginia creeper has 5. 'Leaves of three, let it be; leaves of five, let it thrive.'
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