Parthenocissus
| Parthenocissus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Parthenocissus quinquefolia, foliage and fruit | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Vitales |
| Family: | Vitaceae |
| Subfamily: | Vitoideae |
| Genus: | Parthenocissus Planch. |
Parthenocissus /ˌpɑːrθɪnoʊˈsɪsəs/,[1] is a genus of tendril[2] climbing plants in the grape family, Vitaceae. It contains about 12 species native to the Himalaya, eastern Asia and North America.[3] Several are grown for ornamental use, notably P. henryana, P. quinquefolia and P. tricuspidata.[2]
Etymology[edit]
The name derives from the Greek parthenos, "virgin", and kissos (Latinized as "cissus"), "ivy". The reason is variously given as the ability of these creepers to form seeds without pollination[4] or the English name of P. quinquefolia, Virginia creeper, which has become attached to the whole genus.[5]
Fossil record[edit]
Among the middle Miocene Sarmatian palynoflora from the Lavanttal Basin Austrian researchers have recognized Parthenocissus fossil pollen. The sediment containing the Parthenocissus fossil pollen had accumulated in a lowland wetland environment with various vegetation units of mixed evergreen/deciduous broadleaved/conifer forests surrounding the wetland basin. Key relatives of the fossil taxa found with Parthenocissus are presently confined to humid warm temperate environments, suggesting a subtropical climate during the middle Miocene in Austria.[6]
Food plants[edit]
Parthenocissus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the brown-tail and Gothic.
Species[edit]
From Asia[edit]
- Three leaved
- Parthenocissus chinensis, this species grows in dry areas between 1300 and 2300 m in China in the west of both Sichuan and Yunnan.
- Parthenocissus heterophylla, from China and Taiwan
- Parthenocissus semicordata, from the Himalaya
- Parthenocissus feddei, this species grows in rocky places between elevations of 600 and 1100 m in the Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Guizhou, Hubei and Hunan
- Five leaved
- Parthenocissus henryana, Chinese Virginia creeper from China
- Parthenocissus laetevirens
- One or three leaved
- Parthenocissus dalzielii, from east and south-east Asia
- Parthenocissus suberosa
- Parthenocissus tricuspidata, Japanese creeper or Boston ivy, from eastern Asia
From North America[edit]
- Seven or five-leaved
- Parthenocissus heptaphylla, sevenleaf creeper, from Texas and Mexico
- Parthenocissus inserta, thicket creeper, woodbine, or grape woodbine, from western and northern North America
- Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Virginia creeper, from eastern North America
References[edit]
- ^ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
- ^ a b RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 978-1405332965.
- ^ Ze-Long Nie a.o., "Molecular phylogeny and biogeographic diversification of Parthenocissus (Vitaceae) disjunct between Asia and North America", in: American Journal of Botany 97: p. 1342 (2010)
- ^ Fralish, James S.; Franklin, Scott B. (2002). Taxonomy and Ecology of Woody Plants in North American Forests. John Wiley and Sons. p. 167. ISBN 0-471-16158-6. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
- ^ Coombes, Allen J. (2012). The A to Z of plant names. USA: Timber Press. pp. 312. ISBN 9781604691962.
- ^ Combined LM and SEM study of the middle Miocene (Sarmatian) palynoflora from the Lavanttal Basin, Austria: part III. Magnoliophyta 1 – Magnoliales to Fabales, Friðgeir Grímsson, Barbara Meller, Johannes M. Bouchal & Reinhard Zetter, Grana 2015, Vol 54, No. 2, 85-128.
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