Grapes

This week we investigate the Piedmont’s native grapes, some of which are fruiting now. While this profile focuses on those plants that we commonly call “grapes” in English or “ᏖᎸᎳᏗ” (pronounced te-lv-la-di) in Cherokee, it’s important to know that the common Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) is closely related!

The most well-known local grape species is the Muscadine (Muscadinia rotundifolia). The muscadine is recognized by its relatively small leaves (about 8 cm across), its adherent bark, and its simple, unbranched tendrils. Its small grapes are commonly eaten by animals and people alike. In fact, the oldest cultivated grape vine in the country is a muscadine variety known as Scuppernong located on Roanoke Island.

Other local grape species tend to have scaly or shreddy bark and their tendrils are branched. One species is the Fox Grape (Vitis labrusca). To identify the Fox Grape species, check the underside of the leaf and look for thick or spider-like hairs. The Fox Grape might be more familiar to you in the form of jelly! Common cultivated varieties include ‘Concord’ (cross-bred with V. vinifera) and ‘Niagara,’ both of which can be made into interesting, off-dry wines!

Other grapes that are found locally are Frost Grape (Vitis vulpina), Summer Grape (V. aestivalis var. aestivalis), and the Possum Grape (V. cinerea var. baileyana). All these grapes have leaves that at least double the size of Muscadine and branched tendrils.

Frost Grape is smooth or just a bit hairy below and its little grapes are said to sweeten up after the first frost. This means that this species has been used for preserves and wine too!

Summer Grape leaves can be softly hairy and whitish beneath. The American grape cultivar ‘Norton,’ which makes a lovely, earthy local wine, is descended from V. aestivalis and another grape variety. This wine has become so well known that Riedel developed wineglasses especially for sipping Norton in 2009.  Foxes, squirrels, skunks, opossums, and raccoons love this species too!

Possum grape is smooth beneath or sometimes sports fine, spider-web like hairs. Most sources indicate that these grapes don’t taste very good, but like other grape species, the flowers do attract pollinators and the leaves can host larval moths.

There are also other features that can help you differentiate these species, like the shape of the stem on new growth, the color of their nodes, and the number of nodes on which the tendrils grow. Want to learn more? Check out Alan Weakley’s Flora of the Southern and mid-Atlantic States, available at http://herbarium.unc.edu/flora.htm.

(Special thanks to my colleagues Dr. Paul Manos and Will Cook – check out his website, Carolina Nature – for their feedback on Vitis and friends!)