Flora of North America species comparison

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Vitis vinifera

Vitis girdiana

cultivated grape, European grape, grape of commerce, wine grape

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

bark exfoliating in shreds or plates;

nodal diaphragms 3–5 mm thick;

branchlets terete to slightly angled, pubescent, sometimes glabrescent, growing tips not enveloped by unfolding leaves;

tendrils along length of branchlets, persistent, 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 usually more than 3.5 mm;

petiole ± equaling blade;

blade cordate-ovate to cordate-orbiculate, 12–20 cm, usually 3-shouldered to 3–5-lobed, sometimes deeply so, apex acute to short acuminate, abaxial surface not glaucous, sparsely pubescent to glabrate, visible through hairs, adaxial surface usually 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.
Inflorescences

10–20 cm.

8–18 cm.
Flowers

bisexual.

functionally unisexual.
Berries

usually reddish purple to nearly black, sometimes yellow-green, ± glaucous, oblong to ellipsoid, 8–25 mm diam., skin adhering to pulp;

lenticels absent.

dark purple to black, slightly or not glaucous, globose, 4–6 mm diam., skin separating from pulp;

lenticels absent.
2n

= 38, 76.

= 38.

Vitis vinifera

Vitis girdiana
Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun; fruiting Jul–Sep. Flowering Apr–Jun; fruiting Jul–Sep.
Habitat Riparian areas, disturbed sites. Stream banks, canyon bottoms.
Elevation 0–1200 m. (0–3900 ft.) 10–2000 m. (0–6600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; MA; NH; NY; OR; PA; WA; BC; Europe [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Vitis vinifera and cultivars formed by hybridization between it and native North American species or through selection are cultivated in Europe, many parts of the United States and southern Canada, and parts of Central and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia; these have been reported persisting from cultivation (for example, in California, Utah, and Virginia) and occasionally escaping. Some specimens keying here may represent naturally occurring hybrids between native species and V. vinifera or its hybrid cultivars.

(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. 8. 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. mustangensis, V. palmata, V. riparia, V. rotundifolia, V. rupestris, V. shuttleworthii, 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
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 202. (1753) 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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