Flora of North America species comparison

In several early publications (for example, T. V. Munson 1909), Vitis mustangensis was known as V. candicans Engelmann ex A. Gray. M. O. Moore (1991) argued that the name V. candicans is ambiguous and not identifiable with any species based on the original description, making the more recent name V. mustangensis the valid and legitimate one for this species.

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

Species ca. 70 (19, including 3 hybrids, in the flora).

Vitis is nearly restricted to temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, with one extremely variable species (V. tiliifolia Humboldt & Bonpland ex Schultes) extending into northern South America.

The North American species of Vitis are of considerable economic importance and have played a significant part in commercial viticulture over the last century. The introduction of native North American species into France in the mid 1800s led to the introduction of grape phylloxera, Daktulosphaira vitifoliae, an insect to which the grape of commerce (V. vinifera) is susceptible. Many European vineyards were virtually destroyed by the 1860s. The reconstruction of the European vineyards was made possible by using native North American species, many of which are resistant to grape phylloxera, as rootstocks for and in hybridizations with V. vinifera. Native North American species of Vitis have also played a major role in establishing viticulture as an industry in North America, particularly in areas other than California and Oregon, such as Florida, New York, North Carolina, Ontario, Texas, and Virginia.

Two subgenera of Vitis commonly have been recognized. Subgenus Vitis, which includes the majority of species, is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere; subg. Muscadinia, with two species, is restricted to the southeastern United States, the West Indies, and Mexico (G. K. Brizicky 1965; Wen J. 2007). J. K. Small (1903) elevated subg. Muscadinia to generic rank, a treatment followed by some authors, for example A. S. Weakley et al. (2012). However, a recent phylogenetic study of the Vitis-Ampelocissus clade by Liu X. Q. et al. (2015) showed that the Central American Ampelocissus erdvendbergianus Planchon is sister to Vitis and that subg. Muscadinia and subg. Vitis are sister groups. To maintain the monophyly of Vitis and Ampelocissus, A. erdvendbergianus needs to be transferred to Vitis. Recognizing Muscadinia as a distinct genus would require description of a monospecific new genus for A. erdvendbergianus; it makes better sense to maintain a broadly circumscribed Vitis.

In the key and descriptions that follow, nodal diaphragm thickness is in the current year's growth, leaf blade pubescence is on fully mature leaves unless otherwise noted, and berry diameter is of 3–4-seeded berries.

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