Hedera helix

English ivy

Family: Araliaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

English ivy is a naturalized perennial found in northern California coastal regions, northern Coast Ranges, northern Sierra Nevada foothills, Central Valley, central Coast, San Francisco Bay Area, and southwestern California in woodland and open disturbed areas at elevations below 1,280 meters. Flowering from August to November, this plant produces small greenish flowers in clusters. Growing as a climbing vine with flexible stems that can reach several meters in length, it spreads extensively through both horizontal and vertical growth. Its distinctive leaves are ovate to diamond-shaped, typically 5 to 15 centimeters long, with a slightly hairy undersurface. The plant produces small dark fruits approximately 5 millimeters in diameter that aid in its widespread distribution.

Habitat: Woodland, open, disturbed areas

Bloom period: Aug-Nov

Elevation: < 1280 m

Bioregions: NCo, NCoR, n SNH, GV, CCo, SnFrB, SW (exc ChI, SnJt)

California counties: Santa Cruz, Orange, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Francisco, Ventura, Stanislaus, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Mendocino, Humboldt, Sonoma, Butte, Alameda, Del Norte, Placer, Kern, Monterey

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.