Hedera azorica Carrière

Species Naming and Endemism

Hedera azorica, commonly called the Azores ivy, is a species of ivy in the genus Hedera that is endemic to the Azores Islands.

Growth Form

It is an evergreen woody climbing plant, growing 20–30 meters high when suitable vertical surfaces are available, and growing as ground cover when no vertical surfaces are present.

Climbing Mechanism

It climbs using aerial rootlets that cling to its substrate.

Population Morphology

The Azores ivy has an attractive, elegant appearance and is quite common across the Azores, with noticeable morphological differences between populations on different islands.

Local Abundance

It is particularly abundant on the rocky slopes of Lagoa do Fogo on São Miguel island.

Growth Substrates

This species can be found growing on slopes, rock, soil, and tree trunks, especially in laurel forest.

Natural Habitat

Its natural habitat is forests or dense shrubs that are cloud-covered for most of the year.

Stem and Leaf Characteristics

Its stems are green, and it bears large alternate leaves that occur in two forms: palmately lobed juvenile leaves on creeping and climbing stems, and unlobed cordate adult leaves on fertile flowering stems exposed to full sun, usually high in the crowns of trees or on the tops of rock faces.

Flower Structure

Its flowers grow in small, tight, erect umbels with a long peduncle.

Fruit Characteristics

Ripe fruits are small, globular, and black.

Human Uses

Hedera azorica has been cultivated in gardens and used in floral arrangements.