Vitis rotundifolia
Vitis rupestris
muscadine, scuppernong
rock grape, sand grape
branchlets terete to slightly angled, usually sparsely grayish arachnoid, glabrescent, growing tips not enveloped by unfolding leaves;
tendrils along length of branchlets, persistent, tendrils (or inflorescences) at only 2 consecutive nodes;
nodes sometimes red-banded.
bark tardily exfoliating in plates;
nodal diaphragms to 1 mm thick;
branchlets terete, usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely hirtellous, growing tips enveloped by unfolding leaves;
tendrils absent or only at distalmost nodes, soon deciduous if not attached to support, branched, tendrils (or inflorescences) at only 2 consecutive nodes;
nodes not red-banded.
stipules 1–2 mm;
petiole mostly ± equaling blade;
blade cordate to nearly reniform, 2–12 cm, rarely lobed, apex short acuminate, abaxial surface not glaucous, glabrous, visible through hairs, veins and vein axils sometimes sparsely to densely hirtellous, adaxial surface glabrous.
stipules 3–6.5 mm;
petiole 1/2 blade;
blade reniform, conduplicately folded, 5–10 cm, apex acute to short acuminate, usually 3-shouldered, rarely shallowly 3-lobed, abaxial surface not glaucous, usually glabrous, visible through hairs, veins and vein axils sometimes sparsely hirtellous, adaxial surface usually glabrous.
3–8(–10) cm.
4–7 cm.
functionally unisexual.
functionally unisexual.
usually black or purplish, sometimes bronze when ripe, glaucous, globose, 8–25 mm diam., skin separating from pulp;
lenticels present.
black, slightly glaucous, globose, 8–12 mm diam., skin separating from pulp;
lenticels absent.
= 38.
Vitis rotundifolia
Vitis rupestris
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Vitis rupestris once was widely scattered throughout most of its range, but now mostly is rare and may have been extirpated in many locations, apparently due to habitat loss. It is most common in the Ozark region of northern Arkansas and the southern half of Missouri, but is imperiled elsewhere (http://explorer.natureserve.org). It is persisting from cultivation in California and some other locations (J. Wen, pers. obs.; E. B. Wada and M. A. Walker, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_IJM.pl?tid=48433). Reports from Illinois were based on misidentifications (R. H. Mohlenbrock 2014). The species was used to develop many grape hybrids due to its resistance to disease (J. Gerrath et al. 2015)
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Berries 15–25 mm diam., usually 2–8 per infructescence; seeds 9+ mm. | var. rotundifolia |
1. Berries 8–12 mm diam., 12–30 per infructescence; seeds to 6 mm. | var. munsoniana |
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