Vitis riparia
Vitis girdiana
frost grape, river grape, river-bank grape, vigne de rivages
desert wild grape, Southern California grape, Southern California or desert wild grape, Southern California 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 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.
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 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.
(4–)9–12 cm.
8–18 cm.
functionally unisexual.
functionally unisexual.
black, heavily glaucous, globose, 8–12 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.
= 38.
= 38.
Vitis riparia
Vitis girdiana
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 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.)
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