Vitis riparia
Vitis californica
frost grape, river grape, river-bank grape, vigne de rivages
California wild, California wild grape, northern California grape, Pacific, Pacific grape, western wild grape
bark exfoliating in shreds;
nodal diaphragms to 0.5 mm thick;
branchlets terete, glabrous or sparsely hirtellous, growing tips enveloped by unfolding leaves, glabrous or sparsely hairy;
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 3–4 mm thick;
branchlets terete to slightly angled, tomentose, tomentum thinning in age, sometimes also hirtellous, 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.
stipules 3–5 mm;
petiole 1/2 to ± equaling blade;
blade cordate, 6–20 cm, 3-shouldered to shallowly 3-lobed, apex short acuminate, abaxial surface not glaucous, glabrate, visible through hairs, veins and vein axils hirtellous, adaxial surface glabrous.
stipules usually less than 3.5 mm;
petiole ± equaling blade;
blade cordate to orbiculate or nearly reniform, 7–15 cm, unlobed or shallowly 3–5-lobed, apex acute to short acuminate, abaxial surface not glaucous, moderately to sparsely tomentose, visible through hairs, adaxial surface sparsely tomentose to glabrate.
(4–)9–12 cm.
5–10 cm.
functionally unisexual.
functionally unisexual.
black, heavily glaucous, globose, 8–12 mm diam., skin separating from pulp;
lenticels absent.
purple to black, moderately to heavily glaucous, globose, 8–10 mm diam., skin separating from pulp;
lenticels absent.
= 38.
= 38.
Vitis riparia
Vitis californica
Vitis riparia is native throughout much of its range. It has become naturalized in a few locations in Saskatchewan, Oregon, and Washington. Plants on dunes around the Great Lakes with hairier petioles and leaf blades sometimes have been recognized as var. syrticola; variation in hairiness is essentially continuous, however, and the form is not worthy of taxonomic recognition (P. M. Catling and G. Mitrow 2005).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Vitis californica occurs in central and northern California (from San Luis Obispo to Inyo counties north) to southern Oregon. It is variable and intergrades with V. girdiana in southern California, and hybridizes with both V. girdiana and V. vinifera, often making identification difficult.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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