Drawn to the intricate foliage of ferns and the climbing habit of vines? Here are Vines that Look Like Ferns you should not miss.
Smitten by the lacy fronds of ferns and the clever runoff of vines? Our selection of vines with bright green, fern-like foliage offer graceful alternatives to the ferns and come with their own set of unique perks! Read on to find out.
What are Vines and Ferns?
Vine: These plants can be easily identified by their droopy and twining stems, which require support for growth. They use tendrils to climb or creep along the ground.
Fern: The OGs of the plant kingdom, ferns are ancient flowerless plants with green, intricate fronds that reproduce using spores.
Vines that Look Like Ferns
1. Asparagus Fern
Botanical Name: Asparagus setaceus
Don’t let the name fool you; this one is not a true fern but rather a vine of the asparagus family. Its fine, feathery foliage mimics fern fronds, hence the name.
This climbing indoor plant grows up to 10 feet with soft, needle-like leaves. You can use it as an ornamental houseplant or, just like its cousin, the true asparagus, you can eat the young shoots, however, it’s not confirmed and do verify.
2. Fern-Leaf Clematis
Botanical Name: Clematis cirrhosa
The fern-leaf clematis is an evergreen vine with finely divided leaves resembling ferns. Usually cultivated for its creamy white flowers that appear in winter as most plants go dormant, this stunning fern mimic can reach about 20 feet in height.
Train them on trellises, pergolas, and doors to give the semblance of cascading ferns. Just avoid disturbing this vine, as its stems are fragile and can break quite easily.
3. Porcelain vine
Botanical Name: Ampelopsis brevipedunculata
This aggressively spreading vine mimics the shape of a compound fern with its serrated leaves. Although it can grow to heights of 20 feet, it is rather known for its tiny, blue, spherical berries, which are slightly poisonous to humans. Make sure to get rid of it in its initial stages, if you have young ones or pets in your home.
4. Allegheny vine
Botanical Name: Adlumia fungosa
The Allegheny vine can easily confuse many into thinking that it is a fern due to its deeply compounded leaves, which have 3 leaflets each, somewhat like maidenhair ferns. However, the giveaway factor is its flowers, as ferns do not produce flowers, and this vine has prominent, spongey, tubular flowers that stay all summer long.
If you choose to grow this vine, you will not need a lot of space as it is not as large as others on this list and reaches a mere height of only 3 meters, which is around ten feet.
5. Cypress Vine 
Botanical Name: Ipomoea quamoclit
The Cypress Vine has leaves that may make many believe that its parents are a fern and a pine tree. Jokes apart, the leaves are truly fern-like due to their compound formation and slenderness.
Each leaf can grow up to 3 inches in length but a fraction of an inch in width. Along with the unique foliage, its showy morning glory-like flowers also capture the eyes of many.
6. Grape Ivy
Botanical Name: Cissus rhombifolia
This perennial vine makes a perfect indoor climbing plant. It adds greenery through its saw tooth-like compound leaves, and these traits of the foliage are what remind many of a fern.
The glossy leaves can grow up to 8 inches long and have silky brown hair on the underside. Due to its smaller length and spread you can easily grow it in hanging baskets and pots.
