Flora of North America species comparison

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Vitis mustangensis

Vitis girdiana

mustang grape

desert wild grape, Southern California grape, Southern California or desert wild grape, Southern California wild grape
Habit Plants high climbing, sparsely branched. Plants high climbing, sparsely branched.
Branches

bark exfoliating in shreds;

nodal diaphragms 1.5–3 mm thick;

branchlets subterete to terete, densely to sparsely tomentose, 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.

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 1.5–4 mm;

petiole 1/2–3/4 blade;

blade cordate to nearly reniform, 6–14 cm, usually unlobed but sometimes 3-shouldered or deeply 3–5 lobed, apex acute to obtuse, abaxial surface not glaucous, densely white to rusty tomentose, concealed (except sometimes veins) by hairs, adaxial surface floccose to glabrate.

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

4–10 cm.

8–18 cm.
Flowers

functionally unisexual.

functionally unisexual.
Berries

usually black, sometimes dark red, slightly or not glaucous, globose, 12+ 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 mustangensis

Vitis girdiana
Phenology Flowering Apr–early Jun; fruiting Aug–Sep. Flowering Apr–Jun; fruiting Jul–Sep.
Habitat Woodland edges, fencerows, thickets, lowland woods, disturbed areas. Stream banks, canyon bottoms.
Elevation 0–700 m. (0–2300 ft.) 10–2000 m. (0–6600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; LA; MS; OK; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

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. 10. FNA vol. 12, p. 12.
Parent taxa Vitaceae > Vitis > subg. Vitis Vitaceae > Vitis > subg. Vitis
Sibling taxa
V. acerifolia, V. aestivalis, V. arizonica, V. californica, V. cinerea, V. girdiana, V. labrusca, V. monticola, 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. candicans var. diversa, V. mustangensis var. diversa
Name authority Buckley: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 13: 451. (1862) 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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