Hedera

Hedera is a genus of evergreen climbing plants in the family Araliaceae, commonly known as ivy. The most familiar species is Hedera helix, the common ivy, with leathery, lobed leaves and a climbing habit supported by aerial rootlets. Other cultivated species include Hedera hibernica (Irish ivy), Hedera canariensis (Canary Island ivy), and Hedera colchica (Persian ivy). Native to Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa, Hedera has been widely planted as ornament and ground cover.

Leaves transition from juvenile to adult forms: juvenile leaves are typically lobed and fast-growing, while adult leaves are larger and often unlobed. The plants climb by means of aerial rootlets and can thrive in shade, but tolerate a range of soils and conditions. In cultivation, Hedera is valued for year-round foliage, but it can be invasive in some climates and may smother shrubs or trees if not controlled.

Hedera has ecological and ornamental roles; in gardens it provides cover for ground-dwelling species and can serve as a wildlife habitat. However, in many regions it is considered an invasive non-native species, spreading into woodlands, displacing native vegetation, and damaging trees. Management typically involves regular pruning and removal of excess growth and careful disposal to prevent further spread.

Hedera is also the name of Hedera Hashgraph, a distributed ledger technology developed for high-throughput, low-latency transactions. It uses a hashgraph consensus algorithm rather than a traditional blockchain, and its native cryptocurrency is called HBAR. Launched in 2019, Hedera Hashgraph is governed by a council of major organizations and aims to serve enterprise and consumer applications with fast finality and strong security.