Flora of North America species comparison

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Vitis arizonica

Vitis girdiana

canyon grape

desert wild grape, Southern California grape, Southern California or desert wild grape, Southern California wild grape
Habit Plants sprawling to low climbing, shrubby, much branched. Plants high climbing, sparsely branched.
Branches

bark exfoliating in plates;

nodal diaphragms 1.5–3 mm thick;

branchlets slightly angled when young, becoming terete, arachnoid or arachnoid-floccose, sometimes glabrescent, growing tips not enveloped by unfolding leaves;

tendrils along length of branchlets, soon deciduous if not attached to support, branched, tendrils (or inflorescences) at only 2 consecutive nodes;

nodes not red-banded.

bark exfoliating in plates;

nodal diaphragms 1.5–3 mm thick;

branchlets terete to slightly angled, tomentose, tomentum usually persistent, growing tips not enveloped by unfolding leaves;

tendrils along length of branchlets, persistent, branched, tendrils (or inflorescences) at only 2 consecutive nodes;

nodes not red-banded.
Leaves

stipules 1.5–3 mm;

petiole 1/2 to ± equaling blade;

blade cordate to cordate-ovate, 5–12 cm, usually unlobed to 3-shouldered, sometimes shallowly 3-lobed, apex acute to acuminate, abaxial surface not glaucous, moderately to sparsely arachnoid, visible through hairs, veins and vein axils sometimes only hirtellous, adaxial surface sparsely arachnoid or glabrous.

stipules usually 3.5+ mm;

petiole 1/2 to ± equaling blade;

blade cordate, 5–10 cm, usually unlobed, sometimes 3-shouldered, rarely shallowly 3-lobed, apex acute to short acuminate, abaxial surface not glaucous, moderately to densely tomentose, visible through hairs, adaxial surface sparsely to moderately tomentose, glabrescent.
Inflorescences

4–12 cm.

8–18 cm.
Flowers

functionally unisexual.

functionally unisexual.
Berries

black, slightly or not glaucous, globose, 6–10 mm diam., skin separating from pulp;

lenticels absent.

dark purple to black, slightly or not glaucous, globose, 4–6 mm diam., skin separating from pulp;

lenticels absent.
2n

= 38.

= 38.

Vitis arizonica

Vitis girdiana
Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun; fruiting Jul–Oct. Flowering Apr–Jun; fruiting Jul–Sep.
Habitat Stream banks, canyon bottoms. Stream banks, canyon bottoms.
Elevation 400–3000 m. (1300–9800 ft.) 10–2000 m. (0–6600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; NV; TX; UT; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Sinaloa, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Vitis arizonica is variable and intergrades with V. girdiana in southern Nevada; it is in need of in-depth field and experimental studies. Some authors have recognized two varieties of this species (vars. arizonica and glabra), but the characters used to distinguish them intergrade so freely that their recognition does not seem justified.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Vitis girdiana is known from Inyo, Kern, and Santa Barbara counties and southward. It is morphologically very similar to and intergrades and hybridizes with V. californica in central California. Hybridization with V. vinifera is also probable, making identifications of some specimens quite difficult. Vitis girdiana intergrades also with V. arizonica in eastern Inyo and San Bernardino counties near the California-Nevada border. The V. californica-girdiana-arizonica species complex is in need of in-depth field and experimental studies.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 13. FNA vol. 12, p. 12.
Parent taxa Vitaceae > Vitis > subg. Vitis Vitaceae > Vitis > subg. Vitis
Sibling taxa
V. acerifolia, V. aestivalis, V. californica, V. cinerea, V. girdiana, V. labrusca, V. monticola, V. mustangensis, V. palmata, V. riparia, V. rotundifolia, V. rupestris, V. shuttleworthii, V. vinifera, V. vulpina, V. ×champinii, V. ×doaniana, V. ×novae-angliae
V. acerifolia, V. aestivalis, V. arizonica, V. californica, V. cinerea, V. labrusca, V. monticola, V. mustangensis, V. palmata, V. riparia, V. rotundifolia, V. rupestris, V. shuttleworthii, V. vinifera, V. vulpina, V. ×champinii, V. ×doaniana, V. ×novae-angliae
Synonyms V. arizonica var. galvinii, V. arizonica var. glabra, V. treleasei
Name authority Engelmann: Amer. Naturalist 2: 321. (1868) Munson: Proc. Annual Meetings Soc. Promot. Agric. Sci. 8: 59. (1887)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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