Common Ivy

Description

Hedera helix is an evergreen climbing plant, growing to 20-30 m (66-98 ft) high where suitable surfaces (trees, cliffs, walls) are available, and also growing as ground cover where no vertical surfaces occur. The flowers are produced from late summer until late autumn, individually small, in 3-to-5 cm-diameter (1.2-to-2.0 in) umbels, greenish-yellow, and very rich in nectar, an important late autumn food source for bees and other insects. The fruit are purple-black to orange-yellow berries 6-8 mm (0.2-0.3 in) in diameter, ripening in late winter, and are an important food for many birds, though somewhat poisonous to humans.