Ivy.

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Ivy

The common ivy (Hedera Helix) while not a tree is a sacred plant of Wicca/Witchcraft, revered of old by the ancients as much as it is today by contemporaries.  Its most common association is with the Holly tree, the “Holly and the Ivy” being used extensively worldwide as a Yuletide decoration.

There are many varieties of ivy but the English Common Ivy (Hedera Helix) is the most prolific (not to be confused with Poison Ivy (Rhus radicans), see below).  The ivy is native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, but is now cultivated in many other countries.  Other common varieties are (Hedera helix hibernica) the Irish Ivy also planted extensively in America, and the (Hedera canariensis variegata) commonly planted in California.

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Ivy only produces flowers when the branches get above their support.  The flowering branches are bushy and project out from the climbing stem with flowers at the end of each shoot.  The flowers normally come out in the autumn if sufficient sunlight is available, and appear as small umbrella-like clusters of a greenish-white or yellow.  They often continue to flower until late in December and while they have little or no scent, they yield an abundance of nectar and afford food to bees late in the autumn when they can get no other. 

The fruit or berries of the ivy do not become ripe till the following spring, but never the less provide a valuable source of food for many birds during severe winters.  When ripe the berries are about the size of a pea, black or deep purple in colour and contain two to five seeds.  They have a bitter and nauseous taste and when rubbed have an aromatic and slightly resinous odour.

Of old, ivy leaves were recommended for cattle food and although cows did not like them, sheep and deer will sometimes eat them in the winter.  Turners in Southern Europe used the wood of the ivy, after it attained a sufficient size but being very soft it was seldom used in England except for whetting the knives of leather dressers.  The wood is very porous and the ancients thought it had the property of separating wine from water by filtration, however they soon realized that the wood absorbed its colour and the wine loss some of its flavour, so they stopped using it.  On the Continent it has sometimes been used in thin slices as a filter.

The ivies greatest value is as an ornamental covering for unsightly buildings and is said to be the only plant that does not make walls damp.  The leaves from the way they fall act as a curtain and form a sort of armour holding and absorbing the rain and moisture.  Ivy is a very hardy plant and can withstand the severest of winters and frost; they also suffer little from smoke or the polluted air of manufacturing towns.  The plant can live to a considerable age by which time its stem becomes woody and attains a fair size.  Ivy trunks of a foot in diameter can be found where it has been left undisturbed for many years to grow and climbed over rocks and ruins.

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