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Need help indentifing this plant/ shrub etc
Hazel 4
Posts: 3
Hi have just moved into a new house, and was doing some gardening when I came across this plant / shrub it is everywhere, wrapped round trees like some kind of ivy, but its not an ivy I don't think. The plant / shrub has shiny leaves the flower at the moment is like little green balls with a black centres Hope somebody can help as I have two children and wouldnt want to find out its poisonous.
0
Posts
I am certain from your description that what you are describing is indeed ivy. what may be throwing you is that ivy doesn't flower and fruit while it is in upward climbing mode, but once it gets to the top of whatever it is clinging to then it flops and produces a different shaped leaf altogether, quite unlike the earlier form. And it produces its fruit in winter, great for these fruits are exactly how you describe them, clusters of green balls with black eyes.
Here's a close up of ivy fruit:
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/biohires/h/hhehe--fr30542.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/image/h/hehe--fr30542.htm&h=1440&w=2160&sz=532&tbnid=kzrR50N7t-C3RM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=135&prev=/search%3Fq%3Divy%2Bfruit%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=ivy+fruit&usg=__c03BBpRnoHnbidVStV9u8hmYNCE=&docid=iwasjtTWfKOO_M&hl=en&sa=X&ei=V91qUZiaOq-b1AWm-YHABw&sqi=2&ved=0CEUQ9QEwAg&dur=494
and here's a photo of an adult ivy leaf with tiny unripened fruit.
;http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=adult+ivy+leaf&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&biw=1309&bih=697&ix=sea&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=ad5qUbL0CoLH0QWk1IGYCw#imgrc=mfmF-Uwwd14mbM%3A%3BWxQ24eIKOfK3DM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.aphotoflora.com%252Fimages%252Faraliaceae%252Fhedera_helix_common_ivy_leaf_adult_18-09-04.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.aphotoflora.com%252Faf_hedera_helix_common_ivy.html%3B640%3B480
You can trim it to make it tidy looking but removing Ivy can be a pain. it is actually very good for wildlife.
I'd remove it. Cut to the base, treat any new soft leaf growth with glyphosate. You will need to do this on several occasions to exhaust the roots. I know some will say you should leave it as it provides food for birds at a time when food is scarce, but it can be very unruly in a garden and can spoil your garden plants / shrubs. Maybe you have an uninteresting tree somewhere where you could leave some ivy?