Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center


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Western Wetland Flora

Field Office Guide to Plant Species

Thicket Creeper
Parthenocissus vitacea (Knerr) A. Hitchc.

JPG -- Species Photo JPG -- Distribution Map

Family: Grape (Vitaceae)
Flowering: May-July
Field Marks: Unlike the Virginia creeper (P. quinquefolia), the branched tendrils of this species do not end in adhesive disks. The leaves of the thicket creeper tend to be more shiny than those of the Virginia creeper.
Habitat: Thickets, open woods.
Habit: Climbing or scrambling vine with tendrils.
Stems: Climbing or scrambling, up to several feet long; tendrils branched, not bearing adhesive disks at the tips.
Leaves: Alternate, palmately compound, with 5 leaflets; leaflets elliptic to obovate, up to 6 inches long, pointed at the tip, tapering to the base, coarsely toothed, shiny on the upper surface, sparsely hairy on the lower.
Flowers: Several in compound cymes.
Sepals: 5, green, tooth-like, united below, about 1/20 inch long.
Petals: 5, yellow-green, free from each other, 1/12-1/10 inch long.
Stamens: 5.
Pistils: Ovary superior.
Fruits: Berries brown, up to 1/2 inch in diameter, more or less veiny, containing 1-4 seeds.
Notes: There is a report of this species from California.

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U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/plants/florawe/species/5/partvita.htm
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Page Last Modified: Saturday, 02-Feb-2013 06:25:54 EST
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