Are the branching pattern of the inflorescence + form of the expansions at tendril's tips enough to distinguish Parthenocissus quinquefolia from P. inserta?
Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) has inflorescences with primary axis and tendrils form discs upon contact with a wall or other surface; Woodbine (Parthenocissus inserta, syn. P. vitacea) has dichotomous inflorescences and tendrils don't form expansions.
This is my tips to distinguish Parthenocissus. Parthenocissus quinquefolia has flowers in panicle, leaflets on short stalk, tendrils (5-8) have haustorium. Parthenocissus inserta has flowers in dichasium, leaflets without stalk, tendrils (3-5) without haustorium.
See also my account of the genus on alienplantsbelgium.be: http://alienplantsbelgium.be/content/parthenocissus
I confirm the above, except that the leaflet character (stalked or not) seems to have been inversed!
For P. inserta: The tendril apex is relatively narrow (not rounded); inflorescence without a central axis, and leaflets that have short petiolules (5-20mm).
For P. quinquefolius: The tendril apex is broadened significantly (often plate-like); inflorescence with a central axis (+/- a panicle), and leaflets that are either sessile or with a very short petiolule. (< 10mm).
The epithet "inserta" has priority over "vitacea", according to Haines (2011).
I hope that helps!
Yes, they are, but the differences are small. Both have a kind of dichotomous inflorescence, but P. quinquefolia has several stacked upon each other, resulting in a more continous inflorescence with a kind of central axis. The tendrils P. inserta can become wider if they touch something, but they do not form ENTENDING feet, as does P. quinquefolia, of the which the tendrils are also more slender and branch more often (resulting in c.7 branches versus c. 4 in inserta). P. inserta has (fairly) glossy leaves, P. quinquefolia typically dull.
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