Hedera helix ‘Erecta’ - Ornamental ivy

To find your way around the great diversity of ivy species, they can be classified in different ways.

One of the most traditional and scientific is the classification by species, based on botanical criteria. But it soon became apparent that the species Hedera helix is made up of hundreds, if not thousands, of cultivars, prompting the search for additional classification criteria.

Another commonly used classification system for ivy is the Pierot, named after Suzanne Warner Pierot, the first president and founder of the American Ivy Society. This system is based quite simply on the general appearance of the plant. It classifies them into 9 categories. It has the advantage of being very simple and suggestive. But it is rather approximate, because the same ivy can be classified in several categories.

Another classification is based on the stadium of development reached by ivy: juvenile, semi-adult, adult. But be aware that the same variety can go through each of these three stages in succession, of course.

Finally, a fourth system is based on the port. Ivy can be creeping, climbing, bushy or shrubby. But here too, the same variety can be both creeping and climbing, depending on the circumstances and the environment.

It is therefore usually necessary to use several of these classifications to characterise a particular ivy.

Ornamental ivy, Hedera helix ‘Erecta‘would thus be classified as a species of Hedera helix, in the «Curiosities» category of the Pierot classification; it is an ivy in the juvenile stage. Finally, as far as its habit is concerned, we would say that it is an ivy in the juvenile stage. shrub because its stems are upright, rather like those of a shrub. In fact, they are rather woody like those of shrubs. It can reach almost 1 metre in height, without any support or spikes.