Woody vine, clambering over other vegetation and climbing into trees, gripping with small tendrils tipped with adhesive pads. Older plants producing clinging roots that grip tree bark. Leafs alternate on the vine, with 5 oval, pointed leaflets arranged like fingers of a spread hand (palmate). Leaflets toothed. Flowers very small, not showy. Males and females on separate plants; females green, males white. Blooms in summer. Fruits attractive blue berries in clusters, popular with birds.

Native vine with attractive leaves. Common throughout Wildwood, usually climbing into the trees.

Sometimes called five-leaved poison ivy, but is not at all poisonous. Often mistaken for poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), but that vine has three leaflets. Virginia creeper vines sometimes have leaves with three leaflets, especially the young leaves near the tip, but inspection will show most leaves with five leaflets. The gripping roots greatly resemble those of poison ivy; be sure of the identity before touching. Grapes (Vitis spp. are in the same family, but have leaves that are not divided into leaflets.

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