Side by side
Common ivy or Japanese aralia? How to tell them apart
Hedera helix · Fatsia japonica
How to tell them apart – common ivy: a climber with much smaller leaves, but with the same spherical flower heads in autumn; Japanese aralia: evergreen shrub with huge, glossy, palmately lobed leaves and, in autumn, little balls of white flowers.
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How do you recognise them?
- Common ivy
- Evergreen climber with glossy, lobed leaves and clinging aerial roots.
- Compared with Japanese aralia: a climber with much smaller leaves, but with the same spherical flower heads in autumn.
- Japanese aralia
- Evergreen shrub with huge, glossy, palmately lobed leaves and, in autumn, little balls of white flowers.
| Common ivy | Japanese aralia | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, leathery and glossy dark green; 3–5-lobed on climbing stems, diamond-shaped and unlobed on the flowering shoots at the top. | Alternate, 20–40 cm across, palmate with 7–9 deep lobes, leathery and glossy, on a long stalk. |
| Flowering | Rounded umbels of small yellowish-green flowers in September–November: a late nectar feast for insects (September–November). | Spherical umbels of creamy white flowers in large clusters, in October–November (October–November). |
| Fruit | Bluish-black berries in late winter; poisonous to people, loved by birds. | Black berries in late winter and spring. |
| Bark | Stems with countless short aerial roots that it uses to cling on. | Thick, sparsely branched stems with large leaf scars. |
| Shape and height | Climber, climbs to 20–30 m | Shrub, 2–4 m |
| Site | Sun to shade, any garden soil, dry to wet | Partial shade or shade, any garden soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | Yes | No, planted |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for bees, butterflies and birds | – |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Yes, take care with children and pets | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | March–April and August–September | April–May |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Common ivy is poisonous to people and pets: take care with children and animals.
- Common ivy is native: it feeds more insects and birds than a non-native species. If in doubt, choose this one.
Read on
- Plant profile: Common ivy
- Plant profile: Japanese aralia
- Common ivy: when and how to prune
- Japanese aralia: when and how to prune
- Identification key
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This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.