Hedera colchica
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.
Also called Colchica Ivy, Colchis ivy and Persian Ivy.
Hedera colchica is toxic
- Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Toxic to people. Harmful when eaten; irritates skin and can cause skin allergy. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it. RHS
What the sources say about its care
Sources file this plant under other names: Hedera colchica 'Dentata Variegata' (v). Citations below point at the name its source uses.
- Light
- Full shade, Full sun, Partial shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Moist but well-drained or Well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H5 — -15 to -10°C -15 to -10 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- Harmful when eaten; irritates skin and can cause skin allergy. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Routine care
- Propagation
- Leaf cuttings, stem cuttingsNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026In summer, root semi-hardwood cuttings.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Prune in early spring to keep size in check.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Pruning group 11, whenever convenient.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by slugs and snails, and twospotted spider mites.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Can be troubled by aphids, vine weevil, scale insects and glasshouse red spider mite. Diseases: a leaf spot and, rarely, honey fungus.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Move something and watch
Loading the simulator. It needs JavaScript; the care table above does not.
Photographs
About the plant
Hedera colchica is a species of flowering plant in the family Araliaceae . It is native to the Middle East and commonly called Persian ivy or colchis ivy. It is an evergreen climbing plant, growing to 30 m high where suitable surfaces are available, and also growing as ground cover where there are no vertical surfaces. It climbs by means of aerial rootlets which cling to the substrate. In warm climates, it grows more rapidly and becomes established faster than other Hedera species.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- N. Türkiye to W. CaucasusWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Western Caucasus, northern TurkeyNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026W Caucasus, N TurkeyRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- temperateWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- climberWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Ground Cover, Vine; habit climbing, multi-stemmed, spreadingNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Climbing (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 360–1200 in; width 120–600 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 8-12 metres; spread 4-8 metres after 5–10 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers green, white; blooms in fallNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers green in autumn; yellow in autumnRHS · read 13 September 2026
Other Hedera
More of the Araliaceae family
Aralia BalfourSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Coffee TreeSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Dwarf umbrella treeA thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers
False AraliaSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
FatsiaSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Ming AraliaSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Plants with similar care
Ampelopsis glandulosaSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Anthurium warocqueanumSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Blushing PhilodendronSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
BullbriarSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Cat's ClawSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Centipede TongavineSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.