How does creeper climb? What does creeper's feet look like?

1. How does Parthenocissus climb?

Ivy belongs to the grape family and is very good at climbing. Its branches have many tendrils, which are relatively short, and have some very sticky suction cups at the top and tips of the tendrils. Whenever these suction cups encounter an object, they will stick to it and remain motionless. This is commonly known as its feet.

Ivy climbs up the wall step by step, rather than climbing up with one foot continuously. Every time it grows a leg, it climbs up a bit and then clings tightly to the wall without moving. Wait for new branches and new legs to grow out, and then the new legs will continue to climb the vertical wall like a relay. And it also branches, so there may be many legs climbing up at the same time, which is why it grows so fast and covers a large area.

2. The appearance of the feet of creepers

The feet of ivy are suction cup-shaped, composed of several thin filaments, and then several small suction cups combined together to form its feet.

On the stem of the creeper, where the petiole is located, several branch-like filaments will extend from the back, which are tender red in color. This is what its feet look like when not attached to a wall, on the reverse side of the petiole. Whenever its feet attach to a wall, the heads of these filaments turn into highly sticky suction cups and cling to the wall. At first the filament is straight, but when it grabs the wall, it becomes curved.

The feet of ivy must be attached to the wall to have vitality, otherwise it will wither after a few days, and even no trace will remain. And once it grabs onto the wall, it will be very firm. If you pull its stem, it takes some effort to pull off a stem.