Species · genus Hedera · Araliaceae

Persian Ivy

Hedera colchica (K.Koch) K.Koch

Also known as: Colchis Ivy · Fragrant Ivy

Growth habit

climber

Native range

North Caucasus, Transcaucasus, Türkiye

Reference · H. colchica

Cultivars of H. colchica

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under H. colchica yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

Hedera colchica is a vigorous climbing ivy from the woodlands and forest margins of the Caucasus and northern Türkiye, where it scrambles over rock and trees in cool, shaded conditions. Give it bright indirect light and let the top inch of mix dry before watering, roughly every 7 to 12 days; it tolerates cool rooms and resents sitting in soggy soil. Provide support or let it trail, and ordinary household humidity suits it well.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-12d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 12 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

5–24 °C

Soil mix

Rich, well-draining general potting mix

Propagation

Stem cuttings rooted in water or soil

Fertilizing

Balanced liquid feed monthly in spring and summer

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Rarely flowers indoors

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Toxic to cats & dogs & humans

Araliaceae ivies contain triterpenoid saponins (falcarinol-type compounds and hederagenin saponins) that irritate skin and the digestive tract. This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

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Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-12d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (family inference)

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Persian Ivy yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.