Hedera helix 'Erecta'

To find your way around the great diversity of ivy, we can classify it in different ways.

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

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

Another classification is based on the stage of development reached by the ivy: juvenile, semi-adult, adult. But it's important to bear in mind that the same variety can go through all three stages in succession, of course.

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

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

The 'Erecta' ivy would thus be classed with the Hedera helix species , in the "Curiosities" category of the Pierot classification; it's an ivy in the juvenile stage. Finally, in terms of habit, we'd say it's a shrubby ivy, since its stems are erect, rather like a shrub. In fact, they are rather woody, like those of shrubs. It can reach a height of almost 1 metre, without any support or spikes.