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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Hedera helix (Ivy) |
Hedera helix (ARALIACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
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| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Hedera helixL.
Published in Sp. Pl. 202 (1753)
Infraspecific taxa (subsp., var., etc.) as in [WFO] |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
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Plant Family : |
Araliaceae Juss. (The Aralia Family)
2 species from the Araliaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Ivy, English Ivy |
Maltese name(s) : |
Liedna |
Status for Malta : |
Indigenous. Present on the Maltese islands before man |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Dicotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Macro-Phanerophyte ( high trees usually over 5 m high ) |
Legal Protection : |
Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025) |
Red List (1989) : |
Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands |
Flowering Time : |
September – November |
Colour of Flowers: |
Yellow or Inconspicuous |
Toxicity: |
Mildy toxic, can cause adverse conditions if consumed in large quantities |
Name Derivation : |
Hedera: The old latin name for Ivy which Linnaeus kept when describing the genus. (Latin origin)
helix: winding or twining, typically of climber plants like ivy. (Latin origin)
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Planting in rural areas : |
Encouraged to be planted in the wild that is in rural areas including ODZ. |
Remarks : |
Aggressive climber covering completely trees, walls and rock faces in shaded or damp areas. Sometimes found on the ground in wooded areas. |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Stem up to 30 m, creeping or climbing. Young shoots and inflorescence densely covered with stellate to peltate hairs 0.15-0.4 mm in diameter, with (4-)6-16(-22) rays. Leaves shining, dark green, dimorphic; those of the flowering shoots (often absent in shady or cold situations) 6-10 x 2-12 cm, narrowly elliptical to suborbicular-cordate, entire; those of the non-flowering shoots up to 15 x 15 cm but usually much less, palmately 3- or 5-lobed. Petals 3-5 mm, yellowish-green, patent, later deflexed. Berry with 2-3 seeds. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Climbing on trees, rocks and walls, or covering the ground in woods.
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Aggressive climber covering completely trees, walls and rock faces in shaded or damp areas. Occasionally found trailing on the ground in wooded areas.
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Distributional range |
W., C. & S. Europe, northwards to 60° 30' in Norway, and extending eastwards to Latvia and Ukraine.
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993) |
All Europe except Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Svalbard archipelago, Russia and former USSR
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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Ag Al Au Be Bl Br Bt Bu By Co Cr Cy Cz Da Ga Ge Gr Hb He Ho Hs Hu IJ It Ju LS Lu No Po Rf(C CS NW S) Rm Sa Si Su Tcs Tn Tu(A E) Uk(U)
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| Links & Further literature
(0 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS |
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local
studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.
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Sales and Donations
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Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
How it works: First, submit a quotation request by completing the Online Quotation Form (link provided on the right side of this table). Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive confirmation regarding seed availability, export eligibility (where applicable), pricing, and any transport charges. Payments are accepted by Revolut, bank transfer (IBAN), or PayPal only; credit and debit card payments are not accepted.
Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
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Online Quotation (Seeds)
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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
