Hardiness zones:
Sunset 15-24, with protection from sun in zone 13
USDA 9 - 11

Landscape Use: Large scale shade ground cover

Form & Character: Evergreen eventually woody vine most biologically active in winter having a juvenile and adult form. The common juvenile form is only vegetative and vigorously trails and produces adventitious stem roots; whereas, the more rare adult form is upright, shrubby and reproductive.

Growth Habit: The common vegetative juvenile form vigorously trailing to 200' or more or in Phoenix until it is exposed to full sunlight.

Foliage/texture: Juvenile foliage 3 lobed, 4-6" wide at base w/ palmate venation, young leaves are bright light green, maturing to a deep dark green with prominent veins. Vegetative juvenile stems can produce copious adventitious stem roots (aerial roots) that will attach and support the vine onto most anything and can be destructive. The adult foliage is somewhat smaller and less lobed. Adult foliage is usually produced by the plant once it has climbed high onto a support structure such as a wall or palm tree. In all, this is a coarse textured plant.

Flowers & fruits: Juvenile foliage none, adult form has small greenish white flowers in clusters, spring, followed by small black drupe

Seasonal color: None

Temperature: Cold and heat sensitive, hardiness range is from 30^oF to 110^oF

Light: Mostly full shade in deserts, sun along the coast and coastal valleys of southern California. Easily sun scorched (toasted) during summer in full sun in desert locations.

Soil: Tolerant

Watering: Only slightly drought tolerant, best w/ regular irrigation

Pruning: Prune to control spread

Propagation: Cuttings of juvenile form only

Disease and pests: None in Arizona. Bacteria leaf spotting is a major problem on leaves of Algerian ivy during winter rainy periods in southern california.

Additional comments: Algerian ivy is a vigorous vine for that is best reserved for use in very large landscape spaces. It is a tough plant for those rare large shaded landscape spaces in central Arizona. Once firmly established, Algerian ivy can be be very difficult to eradicate without intensive chemical intervention. Algerian ivy is the quintessential landscape ground cover of southern California in the 1940s to 1960s. When I was a young boy in southern California, my Dad would sent me and my brother outside to the front yard on a regular basis to prune back the Algerian ivy from encroaching onto our house's driveway.

Cases of skin dermatitis (similar to poison oak) have been reported in California upon frequent contact with Algerian ivy. I've battled this plant for years in Woodland Hills, California though and have never been hit by itchy rashes?