Hedera
Woody evergreen climbers or shrubs. Leaves alternate, simple, entire or palmately lobed, discolorous, usually glossy above; stipules absent. Inflorescences pedunculate, of 8–many-flowered umbels that are solitary or in terminal panicles. Flowers pedicellate, pedicels continuous with receptacle (not articulated); petals 5; ovary semi-inferior, 5-locular, surmounted by a conspicuous domed disk, styles 4 or 5, fully connate. Fruit a spherical drupe with 2–5 whitish seeds.
As currently circumscribed, the genus includes c. 12 species (Valcarcel & Vargas 2010), in Europe, north Africa and Asia; 3 species naturalised in Australia
Identification can be difficult, as it depends on the hair types of young leaves and young stems in vegetative shoots. It is possible that plants or populations that are intemediate between H. helix and H. hibernica in the hair character may be found. Such populations may represent hybrid taxa that involve H. helix and H. hibernica, or a hybrid involving one of these two species and a third species such as H. algeriensis. H. algeriensis is occasionally cultivated in Victoria, but is unknown to be naturalised in Victoria. Other species that are sometimes cultivated in Victoria include H. canariensis and H. colchica.
Henwood, M.J.; Makinson, R.O.; Maling, K.L. (1999). Araliaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 4, Cornaceae to Asteraceae, pp. 243–256. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
SpinningMcAllister, H.; Marshall, R. (2017). Hedera: The complete guide. Royal Horticultural Society.
Valcarcel, V.; Vargas, P. (2010). Quantitative morphology and species delimitation under the general lineage concept: Optimization for Hedera (Araliaceae). American Journal of Botany 97(9): 1555–1573.
