WildBristol.uk - Discovering Wildlife in Bristol

Widespread and fairly frequent throughout the UK. Habitat includes: Damp, shady places e.g. walls, fences, tree trunks, ditches. Growing habit: Evergreen perennial. Other names include: Irish Ivy, Ivy, Hedera helix ssp. hibernica (old name). ID: Similar in most respects to Common Ivy (Hedera helix) but Atlantic Ivy has a leaf that is slightly broader than it is long, and has a shorter terminal lobe. Both species have tiny white leaf hairs but their shape is different. In Common Ivy, the leaf hairs (trichomes) are bristly and radiating in every direction, whereas those of Atlantic Ivy lie flat on the leaf surface. These leaf hairs can be seen with a magnifying glass.