Attached maiden grapes are common in North America, in southeastern Canada (west to south from Manitoba) and most of the United States, from Maine west to Montana and south from New Jersey, to Missouri east and west from Texas to Arizona. It is present in California, but may be an introduced species that is far in the west.
Fast-growing liana, reaching 20-30 m in nature. The buds and young shoots are green, with age they become covered with yellowish-gray bark. With the help of antennae, usually with 3-5 elongated curly branches, rarely with underdeveloped suckers, this liana rushes up the branches of shrubs. The leaves are palm-complex of 5 leaves, which are ovoid or elliptical in shape and reach a length of 5 to 12 cm. From the top, the leaves are sharp-toothed, long pointed at the apex, smooth to the touch, more or less glossy; below - light green, more or less shiny, slightly pubescent or completely hairless. In the fall they are painted in red-burgundy color.
The flowers are small, greenish, collected in apical panicle inflorescences. The inflorescence is a 2-3-branched stem without a central axis, on which from 10 to 75 flowers are located. The fruit is a berry , 8-10 mm in diameter. The fruits ripen in late summer or early fall; contain oxalic acid and are inedible to humans, but are food for birds in the winter.
This species is very similar to the five-leafed grape ( Parthenocissus quinquefolia ), differing in the method of attaching to the support. The antennae of the attached maiden’s grapes entwine their support, in contrast to the five-leafed girl’s grapes, the antennae of which form sticky disks sticking it to the support. For this reason, the girl’s grapes attached in nature are more common creeping, in contrast to the five-leafed girl’s grape, which is a treetop.
It has been known in culture since the beginning of the 18th century. Cultivated around the world as a garden ornamental plant . It is frost-resistant enough, in Russia it is used up to St. Petersburg .
