False Virginia creeper	Status LU: established. 1st record: LU 1883, ITW <1957.
	Gewéinlech Wëll Rief	Status Eur.: established. 1st record: UK 1824.1
	Vigne vierge commune	RA: ISEIA: B1, Watch List. Harmonia+: 0,34.
	Gewöhnliche Jungfernrebe	Wikipedia: | Wikispecies:
	Valse wingerd	Back to the list of neophytes

Report the species

→ Report Parthenocissus inserta to the National Museum of Natural History.

General note on Parthenocissus spp.

Originally observed in man-made habitats, these popular garden plants can be found increasingly in natural habitats like coastal dunes, riparian habitats and wood margins (Parthenocissus inserta) or rock outcrops (Parthenocissus quinquefolia). They usually thrive on nutrient-rich soils. Seeds are dispersed over long distances by birds. With its dense growth, the plant may cover, out-compete and kill native vegetation (Branquart et al. 2011).

Notes on species distribution and identification

The data situation is poor, which makes it difficult to assess the distribution of Parthenocissus species.

Parthenocissus inserta (A. Kerner) Fritsch has long been confused with Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.) Planch. originating from North America. However, the latter is distinguished by its more branched twists (5-8 twists per twist, compared to gen. 3-5 in P. inserta), with branches provided at their end with a differentiated adhesive disc (simply swollen at their end in P. inserta) and by its leaflets with more obtuse and generally less deep teeth. A hybrid between the two species is also reported. It remains to be seen whether P. quinquefolia and the above-mentioned hybrid have been found in a subspontaneous state in the wild (Lambinon & Verloove 2012: 457).

The identification characteristics given here often cannot be checked on the collected herbarium material because certain organs are missing.

These characteristics are also questioned by various authors: “Traditionally the two species have been separated on the basis of the branching of their tendrils and the formation of adhesive pads where the tendrils make contact with a solid surface. However, there has been some suggestion that this is not a reliable characteristic and that both species will form adhesive pads, just to varying degrees” (David 2010).

During the research of first records for Parthenocissus spp., we were not able to assess available documents and specimens, due to diverging morphological descriptions in floras and missing organs on specimens, which led us to assess on the genus level only (Ries & Krippel 2021).

We conclude that the genus should be revised in Luxembourg: samples and herbarium specimens should be collected from all known occurrences, in the wild as well as cultivated, and the tendrils should be documented as well with photos, as they are difficult to sample without partial destruction. Together with the old herbarium specimens, they should all be subjected to genetic analysis in order to provide clarity.

Status and distribution in Luxembourg

The oldest herbarium specimen at the MNHNL was collected in July 1883 by Edmond Joseph Klein (1866-1942) from a cultivated false Virginia creeper in Wiltz (Specimen № 16636, MNHNL 2000-). The next scientific record that we know of was made under its synonym Parthenocissus vitacea Hitchc. by Jean-Jacques Kariger in 1957 on the Wurthsberg in the Clausen district of Luxembourg City (Kariger 1959: 74; MNHNL 2000-).

Currently, 4 records of the false Virginia creeper are accessible through the MNHNL-mdata portal (MNHNL, iNaturalist & GBIF 2019).

This south and western North American species is melliferous and cultivated to cover walls or facades. Quite frequently subspontaneous or naturalised locally: old walls, hedges, ruderalized forest edges, wastelands, stream banks, slag heaps, railway ballast (Lambinon & Verloove 2012: 457).

Risk assessment

ISEIA protocol

B1 (3+3+2+2), reassessed on 10 July 2018 by C. Ries and M. Pfeiffenschneider. Originally assessed together with Parthenocissus quinquefolia as Parthenocissus spp. C1 (1+1+1+1) (Ries et al. 2013: 18).

Harmonia+ protocol

Overall risk score 0,34 = (Overall Invasion score 0,69 x Overall Impact score 0,50) (Ries et al. 2020).

Worldwide distribution

Bibliography

• Branquart, E., P. Dupriez, S. Vanderhoeven, W. Van Landuyt, F. Van Rossum & F. Verloove, 2011. Harmonia database: Parthenocissus spp. Harmonia version 1.2, Belgian Forum on Invasive Species. URL: http://ias.biodiversity.be [accessed on 2019-10-14]
• David, J.C., 2010. Untangling the climbers – Parthenocissus quinquefolia & P. inserta. BSBI News 113: 60-61.
• GBIF, 2020. Parthenocissus inserta (A.Kerner) Fritsch in GBIF Secretariat (2019). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei [accessed 2020-03-02]
• Hand, R., H. Reichert, W. Bujnoch, U. Kottke, & S. Caspari, 2016. Flora der Region Trier. 1. Aufl. 1.636 S. in zwei Bänden. Verlag Michael Weyand, Trier.
• Kariger, J.-J., 1959. Florule et capitale: Le Wurthsberg de Clausen et quelques hauteurs analogues. Bull. Soc. Nat. luxemb. 62: 59-81. [PDF 1302 KB]
• Lambinon J. & F. Verloove, 2012. Nouvelle flore de la Belgique, du grand-duché de Luxembourg, du Nord de la France et des régions voisines. Sixième édition. Avec la collaboration de L. Delvosalle, B. Toussaint, D. Geerinck, I. Hoste, F. Van Rossum, B. Cornier, R. Schumacker, A. Vanderpoorten et H. Vannerom. Jardin botanique national de Belgique, Meise. CXXXIX + 1195 pp. ISBN : 9789072619884.
• MNHNL, 2000-. Parthenocissus inserta (A. Kerner) Fritsch in Recorder-Lux, database on the natural heritage of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Musée national d’histoire naturelle, Luxembourg. URL: https://mdata.mnhn.lu [Accessed 2019-10-14]
• MNHNL, iNaturalist & GBIF, 2019. Parthenocissus inserta (A. Kerner) Fritsch in MNHNL-mdata, online portal combining species observation from Recorder-Lux, iNaturalist and GBIF. National Museum of Natural History, Luxembourg. URL: https://mdata.mnhn.lu [Accessed 2019-10-14]
• Petrova, A., V. Vladimirov & V. Georgiev, 2013. Invasive alien species of vascular plants in Bulgaria. Bulgarian academy of science, Sofia. 319 p.
• Ries, C. & Y. Krippel, 2021. First records of 56 invasive alien vascular plants in Luxembourg. Bulletin de la Société des naturalistes luxembourgeois 123: 115-127. [PDF 241 KB]
• Ries, C., Y. Krippel & M. Pfeiffenschneider, 2020. Risk assessment after the Harmonia+ protocol of invasive alien vascular plant species in Luxembourg. Bull. Soc. Nat. luxemb. 122: 197-205. [PDF 132 KB]
• Ries, C., Y. Krippel, M. Pfeiffenschneider & S. Schneider, 2013. Environmental impact assessment and black, watch and alert list classification after the ISEIA Protocol of non-native vascular plant species in Luxembourg. Bull. Soc. Nat. luxemb. 114: 15-21. [PDF 652 KB]
• Rosbach, H., 1880. Flora von Trier. Verzeichniss der im Regierungsbezirke Trier sowie dessen nächster Umgebung wild wachsenden, häufiger angebauten und verwilderten Gefässpflanzen nebst Angabe ihrer Hauptkennzeichen und ihrer Verbreitung. 2 Bände. Ed. Groppe, Trier 1880. 231 und 197 Seiten.