English Ivy

English Ivy (Hedera helix) is an evergreen vine that can climb to 90 feet by clinging roots to encase trees and form dense ground cover. It has thick dark green leaves that are heart shaped with three to five pointed lobes when juvenile and later becomes lanceolate lacking lobes. Climbing mature plants have terminal flower clusters in summer that yield dark purple berries in winter and spring. Spread by bird-dispersed seeds, and colonize by trailing and climbing vines that root at nodes. English ivy rarely produces fertile seeds along the Gulf Coast. Still widely produced, sold and planted as ornamentals.

Management Strategies

• DO NOT PLANT ENGLISH IVY. Remove prior plantings, and control sprouts and seedlings. Bag and dispose of plants and fruit in a dumpster or burn.
• Treat when new plants are young to prevent seed formation.
• Pull, cut and treat when fruit are not present (take measures to avoid rashes that can develop from skin contact).
• Repeated cutting and mowing to groundlline commonly recommended for control of young infestations.