Oval Office Swedish ivy

Common card · No. 404640

A Swedish ivy (Plectranthus verticillatus) plant decorated the Oval Office of the United States White House from the mid-20th century until 2025. Though a popular story attributes the plant's origins to John F. Kennedy, the exact origins of the ivy are unknown. The plant was located on top of the Oval Office's fireplace mantle, and different presidents used different arrangements and numbers of the Swedish ivy over the years. The plant was removed to the White House greenhouse out of public view during Donald Trump's 2025 redecoration of the office, and replaced with a collection of golden objects. The plant has been noted by White House horticulturalists as particularly resilient and resistant to pests. Propagations of the plant have historically been a popular gift to White House staffers, who have in turn spread the gift to growers around the United States. The plant features prominently in Barack Obama and Bill Clinton's presidential portraits, and was described as an Oval Office "fixture...

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