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Virginia Creeper

Parthenocissus quinquefolia

Found in swamp forests, bottomlands, maritime forests and thickets, rock outcrops, moist forests. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

73
Strong

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
30–50 feet
Spread
5–10 feet
Light
Dappled sunlight, Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 7.5 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous or evergreen
Bloom
Late spring
Fruiting season
Spring to fall

Recorded in 59 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 6

Swamps

Loblolly bay in a coastal swamp
Regional / representative. Shown: Southern coastal swamps, Florida to Virginia; state not identified, a neighboring state.Loblolly bay in a coastal swamp, Marian Ellis Rowan, 1901. Public domain. Source record.

Forest edges and thickets

Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields
Named place / source context. Shown: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Georgia and Tennessee; which part is not recorded, a neighboring state.Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields, Richard Schlecht, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Cliffs, ledges and rocky summits

Trees and rocks on Little Kennesaw Mountain.
Named place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trees and rocks on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

Maritime forests and thickets

Salt-pruned forests and shrub thickets behind coastal dunes.

Moist forests

Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 148 animals.

All wildlife of Alabama

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

32CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Parthenocissus

  • Adela ridingsellaRidings' Fairy Moth
  • Alypia octomaculataEight-Spot Forester, 8-Spot Forester
  • Alypia wittfeldiiWittfeld's Forester Moth
  • Amphion floridensisNessus Sphinx
  • Amphipyra pyramidoidesMiranda Underwing, Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra
  • Darapsa myronVirginia Creeper Sphinx
  • Deidamia inscriptumLettered Sphinx
  • Desmia funeralisGrape Leaffolder Moth
  • Dyspteris abortivariaThe Bad-Wing, Badwing
  • Enyo lugubrisMournful Sphinx
Show all 32
  • Eudryas grataBeautiful Wood-Nymph
  • Eulithis diversilineataLesser Grapevine Looper Moth
  • Eulithis gracilineataGreater Grapevine Looper
  • Eumorpha achemonAchemon Sphinx
  • Eumorpha labruscaeGaudy Sphinx
  • Eumorpha pandorusPandorus Sphinx, Pandora Sphinx
  • Eumorpha vitisVine Sphinx
  • Geina periscelidactylaGrape Plume Moth
  • Halysidota tessellarisBanded Tussock Moth, Pale Tiger Moth
  • Harrisina americanaGrapeleaf Skeletonizer Moth
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Monochroa absconditellaStrawberry Crown Miner
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Phigalia strigatariaSmall Phigalia, Small Oak Looper
  • Phyllodesma americanaLappet Moth, American Lappet Moth, Southern Lappet Moth
  • Psychomorpha epimenisGrapevine Epimenis
  • Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
  • Sphecodina abbottiiAbbott's Sphinx
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Vitacea scepsiformisVirginia Creeper Clearwing, Lesser Grape Root Borer
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
20BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Parthenocissus

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
12BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Parthenocissus

  • Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
  • Catharus fuscescensVeery
  • Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
  • Catharus ustulatusSwainson's Thrush
  • Hylocichla mustelinaWood Thrush
  • Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
  • Tachycineta bicolorTree Swallow
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
  • Tyrannus tyrannusEastern Kingbird
  • Tyrannus verticalisWestern Kingbird
Show all 12
  • Vireo griseusWhite-eyed Vireo
  • Vireo olivaceusRed-eyed Vireo
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Vitaceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–10b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Green or white
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Spreads by runners
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Spring
Fruit ends
Fall

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “Late spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Flower color · “Green or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “Spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit ends · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth habit · “Spreads by runners” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Hardiness · “Zones 3a–10b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Height · “30–50 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Minnesota Wildflowers differ)
  • Leaves · “Deciduous or evergreen” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Light · “Dappled sunlight (shade through upper canopy all day); Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
  • Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
  • Soil pH · “Acidic to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Spread · “5–10 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNR
Global rankG5
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

  • Spreads by runners. USDA PLANTS lists its growth form as stoloniferous. USDA PLANTS

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Sources