五叶地锦 wu ye di jin

Hedera quinquefolia Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 202. 1753; Ampelopsis quinquefolia (Linnaeus) Michaux; Parthenocissus engelmannii Koehne & Graebner; P. quinquefolia f. engelmannii (Koehne & Graebner) Rehder; Psedera quinquefolia (Linnaeus) Greene; Quinaria hederacea Rafinesque, nom. illeg. superfl.; Vitis quinquefolia (Linnaeus) Lamarck.

Branchlets terete, glabrous; tendrils 5-9-branched, young apex curving, later developing into suckers. Leaves palmately 5-foliolate; petiole 5-14.5 cm, petiolule short or nearly absent, glabrous; leaflets obovoid, obovate-elliptic, or elliptic, 5.5-15 × 3-9 cm, glabrous or veins abaxially sparsely pilose, lateral veins 5-7 pairs, veinlets inconspicuously raised, base cuneate or broadly cuneate, margin with rough teeth, apex cuspidate. Paniculate polychasium pseudoterminal, with conspicuous rachis, 8-20 cm; peduncles 3-5 mm. Pedicel 1.5-2.5 mm, glabrous. Buds elliptic, 2-3 mm, apex rounded. Calyx entire. Petals elliptic, 1.7-2.7 mm, glabrous. Filaments 0.6-0.8 mm; anthers elliptic, 1.2-1.8 mm. Disk inconspicuous. Ovary coniform; stigma not expanded. Berry 1-1.2 cm in diam., 1-4-seeded. Seeds obovoid, base with short, acute rostrum, apex rounded. Fl. Jun-Jul, fr. Aug-Oct. 2n = 40.

Cultivated throughout China, sometimes escaped and naturalized [native to E North America].

This species is commonly seen as an ornamental in many cities in China and has also been planted along roads and highways in N China for soil conservation.