Parthenocissus inserta facts for kids
Parthenocissus inserta (also known as thicket creeper, false Virginia creeper, woodbine, or grape woodbine) is a woody vine that grows naturally in North America. You can find it in southeastern Canada (as far west as southern Manitoba) and a large part of the United States. It grows from Maine west to Montana and south to New Jersey and Missouri in the east, and from Texas to Arizona in the west. It also grows in California, but it might have been brought there by people.
Quick facts for kids Parthenocissus inserta |
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Parthenocissus
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| Species: |
inserta
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What is Thicket Creeper?
Thicket creeper is a climbing plant that can grow very long, up to 20 meters! It uses small, branched parts called tendrils to wrap around other plants and climb.
Its leaves are special because they have five smaller parts, called leaflets, that spread out like fingers on a hand. Each leaflet can be up to 13 cm long and 7 cm wide. The edges of the leaflets have rough, jagged teeth.
The plant produces small, green flowers in late spring. By late summer or early fall, these flowers turn into small, blue-black berries. It's important to know that these berries are not safe to eat. Touching the plant might also cause a skin rash for some people.
Thicket creeper is often confused with a similar plant called Parthenocissus quinquefolia, or Virginia creeper. They look alike, but they climb differently. Thicket creeper's tendrils wrap around other plants, but they don't have sticky pads to cling to smooth walls. This means it can only climb through bushes and trees. Virginia creeper, however, can stick to smooth surfaces.
Another way to tell them apart is by their leaves and berries. When young, thicket creeper leaves are shiny, while Virginia creeper leaves are dull. Thicket creeper also has larger berries, about 8–12 mm wide, compared to Virginia creeper's berries, which are 5–8 mm wide.
Thicket Creeper and Animals
The flowers of the thicket creeper are a popular spot for insects. A type of beetle called Mordella marginata often visits them. Several kinds of bees, like the sweat bees Augochlora pura, Lasioglossum subviridatum, and Lasioglossum zephyrus, collect pollen from the flowers. The berries, even though humans shouldn't eat them, are a food source for birds.
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Leaves and tendrils of thicket creeper
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A close-up of the blue-black berries
See also
In Spanish: Enredadera de matorral para niños
