''Hedera azorica'', the Azores ivy, is a species of

ivy ''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to Western Europe, Central Europe, Southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern ...

(genus ''

Hedera ''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to Western Europe, Central Europe, Southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern ...

'') which is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the Azores Islands. It is an

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

climbing plant, growing to 20–30 m high where suitable surfaces are available, and grows as ground cover where there are no vertical surfaces. It climbs by means of aerial rootlets which cling to the substrate.

Ecology

The plant has an attractive and elegant aspect and is quite common in the Azores. ''H. azorica'' can be found in

slope In mathematics, the slope or gradient of a Line (mathematics), line is a number that describes the direction (geometry), direction of the line on a plane (geometry), plane. Often denoted by the letter ''m'', slope is calculated as the ratio of t ...

s, rock, soil and trunks of

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

s, especially in the

laurel forest Laurel forest, also called laurisilva or laurissilva, is a type of subtropical forest found in areas with high humidity and relatively stable, mild temperatures. The forest is characterized by broadleaf tree species with evergreen, glossy and el ...

. Its natural habitat are forests or dense bushes which are cloud-covered for much of the year. The species has great differences from island to island. Very plentiful on the rocky slopes of Lagoa do Fogo, in São Miguel. It is a woody climber

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

bush, which climbs by means of aerial rootlets which cling to the substrate. It grows 20–30 m high where suitable surfaces (trees, cliffs, walls) are available, and also grows as ground cover where there are no vertical surfaces. Its stems are green and the leaves are large,

alternate Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * Alternative comics, or independent comics are an alternative to mainstream superh ...

, and there are two types: 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 the top of rock faces). This plant's flowers are in small umbels, tight and erect, with a long peduncle. The fruits are small, globular and black when ripe. The plant has been cultivated in gardens and used in floral arrangements.

References

Azorica Plants described in 1890 Endemic flora of the Azores Taxa named by Élie-Abel Carrière {{Araliaceae-stub