Kentucky Plant Life -
Vines and Creepers
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Vines are weak-stemmed
plants that require support to extend vertically. Vines climb by
clinging, by twining, or by tendrils - small, flexible stems that
wrap themselves around anything they contact. Grape vines use
tendrils to climb in this way.
Twining vines wind their stems around any support
within reach. Morning glories and honeysuckle are examples of
twining vines.
Clinging or creeping vines, like the various types
of ivy, climb by attaching to surfaces or extending roots into the
ground as they grow and spread. The Virginia creeper, pictured at
right, has touch sensitive adhesive pads on the tendrils of its
stems and will cling to almost any surface. |
Photo Courtesy of the US
Government
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The Virginia creeper can grow to 50 feet (15
meters) or more and will climb vertically if a support is nearby. The
plant generally has five leaflets and can be distinguished from poison
ivy by the rough cut edges of its leaves. The plant is green in summer
and a brilliant burgundy red in the autumn. Specimens of the plant can
be found, however, with seven or three leaflets, mimicking poison ivy.
The fall colors of the two plants are also quite similar in some
instances.
Poison ivy grows widely across the state of Kentucky. This root
climber is most commonly found spread along the ground at the edges of
wooded areas, but given support, it will climb nearby plants, including
trees, or if confined, will grow into a shrub type plant. In most
occurrences this vine, (or shrub if it has no support to climb), has
variably sized compound leaves with three toothed leaflets, although
subspecies found throughout the region can display up to seven leaflets
in differing shapes, thereby making it difficult to identify.
All poison ivy plants can cause a severe allergic reaction if
handled. When the plant is contacted, it releases a oil, urushiol, that
is a severe skin irritant.
Urushiol oil can remain active for several years, thus exposure to
dead vines, leaves, or roots, can also cause a reaction. The oil can be
transferred to tools, gloves, clothing, pet fur, and other surfaces, and
later come in contact with human skin causing a reaction. In some
instances, exposure to smoke from burning a dried plant can also cause a
reaction, in which case a rash can develop on the lining of the lungs,
causing extreme pain. If eaten, the oil from poison ivy can damage
internal organs and the digestive tract.
Around one-quarter of the population suffers no allergic reaction to
poison ivy initially. However, through repeated exposure over time,
most, if not all folks will develop some type of skin rash.
In the photos below, on the left is a close-up of poison ivy leaves
in the summertime. At right below, the top picture is an example of
leaf color in early fall, and below that in the smallest picture is an
example of poison ivy foliage color in late autumn. However, subspecies
can be found in summer and fall that differ in color from all three
examples shown below.
For more information on poison
ivy in particular, read the U.S. Food and Drug Administration article:
"Outsmarting
Poison Ivy and Its Cousins".
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON A VARIETY OF
PLANTS:
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KSNPC Rare Plants Database
Kentucky State Nature
Preserves Commission provides a searchable database where you can
search by "common name", "scientific name", your "county name" or
get a listing for statewide rare plants. |
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USDA
PLANTS DATABASE
You can search by scientific or common
name, or do a state search and see a listing of plants in your
state. There are over 30,000 images of plants, and a wealth of
knowledge available on this site. |
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Plant Facts is a huge interactive database with
photos and videos produced and maintained by The Ohio State
University. Their web site says they have: "merged several digital
collections developed at Ohio State University to become an
international knowledge bank and multimedia learning
center" |
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