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Summer Grape

Vitis aestivalis Michx.

Associations

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In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / parasite
Erysiphe necator parasitises Vitis aestivalis

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Common Names

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summer grape
silverleaf grape
blueleaf grape
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Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Conservation Status

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Summer grape is listed as threatened in Maine [6].
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Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Description

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More info for the terms: fruit, liana

Summer grape is a native, deciduous, high-climbing liana [10,11,18]. It climbs by tendrils to about 33 feet (10 m), or sprawls over low bushes and trees [22]. The stem diameter is usually about 1 inch (2.5 cm) but may be as much as 9 inches (22.9 cm), with ages approaching 100 years [26]. The fruit is a berry 0.2 to 0.5 inches (0.5-1.2 cm) in diameter [18]. The roots are large and hard [29].
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Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Distribution

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Summer grape occurs throughout the eastern United States. The range of the typical variety extends from southern Maine west through southern Ontario to Wisconsin; south to Texas; and east to Florida [6,10,11,18]. Vitis aestivalis var. argentifolia generally occurs farther north and inland than the typical variety; its range extends from New Hampshire west to southern Minnesota and south to Kansas, Missouri, Alabama, Tennessee, and Virginia [10,32]. Both varieties are uncommon at their northern limits [20].
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Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Fire Ecology

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More info for the terms: fire exclusion, fire regime, hardwood, seed, wildfire

Although abundant in moist hardwood sites which do not commonly burn, summer grape also occurs in many communities which regularly experience fire including oak (Quercus spp.) and pine (Pinus spp.) forests [5,12,16]. On Cumberland Island, Georgia, summer grape occurs in scrub communities which historically experienced wildfire every 20 to 27 years [14]. The ability of summer grape to sprout and to accumulate dormant seed in the soil enables it to resist fire. Canopy openings caused by fire favor summer grape establishment. Fire exclusion may lead to a decline in summer grape. FIRE REGIMES: Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under "Find FIRE REGIMES".
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Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Fire Management Considerations

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More info for the terms: fuel, vine

Summer grape can function as a ladder fuel, especially when foliage is dry or debris accumulates along the vine.
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Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Growth Form (according to Raunkiær Life-form classification)

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More info for the term: phanerophyte

Phanerophyte
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Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Habitat characteristics

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More info for the term: hardwood

Summer grape grows on fertile, well-drained, upland sites with abundant soil moisture. It grows on bench areas, coves, and southeast-facing slopes of ravines where organic matter has accumulated [20]. In North Carolina, summer grape is abundant on slightly rocky, steep sites with an east-southeasterly aspect and below 4,230 feet (1,290 m) elevation [4]. Summer grape occasionally occurs on floodplains or lowlands [11,17], including hydric hammocks of Florida [30]. Summer grape grows on a wide variety of soil types including sand, clay, and loam but is most abundant on light, nutrient-rich soils [21,24,26, 29]. In Mississippi, summer grape grows in the poorly drained clay soil of bottomland hardwood forests [8].
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Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Habitat: Cover Types

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This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

More info for the term: hardwood

50 Black locust
52 White oak - black oak - northern red oak
53 White oak
59 Yellow-poplar - white oak - northern red oak
70 Longleaf pine
76 Shortleaf pine - oak
82 Loblolly pine - hardwood
89 Live oak
93 Sugarberry - American elm - green ash
110 Black oak
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Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Habitat: Ecosystem

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

FRES12 Longleaf - slash pine
FRES13 Loblolly - shortleaf pine
FRES14 Oak - pine
FRES15 Oak - hickory
FRES16 Oak - gum - cypress
FRES17 Elm - ash - cottonwood
FRES18 Maple - beech - birch
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bibliographic citation
Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Habitat: Plant Associations

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the term: forest

K098 Northern floodplain forest
K100 Oak - hickory forest
K101 Elm - ash forest
K103 Mixed mesophytic forest
K104 Appalachian oak forest
K110 Northeastern oak - pine forest
K111 Oak - hickory - pine forest
K112 Southern mixed forest
K113 Southern floodplain forest
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Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Immediate Effect of Fire

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Summer grape is probably top-killed by most fire.
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Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Importance to Livestock and Wildlife

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More info for the terms: cover, vine, vines

More than 80 species of birds and animals eat summer grape berries; they include songbirds, gamebirds (ruffed grouse, wild turkey, ring-necked pheasant, and northern bobwhite), and furbearers (black bear, raccoon, and skunk) [20,26,32]. Ripe grapes are available on the vine from mid-August through mid-March; the peak abundance of fallen grapes occurs in early November [20,26]. White-tailed deer browse foliage in the spring and early summer and fallen leaves in the fall [20]. The twisted and tangled vines provide excellent escape and nesting cover for songbirds. Birds use the peeling bark for nest construction [20,26].
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bibliographic citation
Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Key Plant Community Associations

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More info for the terms: hardwood, tree, woodland

Summer grape occurs in open forests, woodlands, woodland borders, and
thickets [10,11]. It climbs nearly all hardwood and conifer tree
species that grow in its range [20]. Summer grape may be exceedingly
abundant in or completely absent from a particular vegetation type [3,4].
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bibliographic citation
Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Life Form

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More info for the term: vine

Vine
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Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Management considerations

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More info for the terms: forest, hardwood, seed, tree, vine, vines

Summer grape damages and sometimes kills standing trees. Summer grape
generally reduces timber quality by breaking tops and limbs, twisting
and bending the main stems, augmenting winter damage by collecting snow
and ice, and interfering with photosynthesis by shading tree foliage.
On fertile sites, summer grape is often present in 50 percent of the
tree crowns [25,26].

Summer grape can be controlled in commercial forests by manually
severing the stem. This control method is effective if there are no
canopy openings and trees are tall enough that summer grape sprouts
cannot reach the sunlight within two growing seasons [25,26].

Summer grape survival after cutting the vine at ground level was
assessed in a mature West Virginia mixed hardwood forest. At the end of
the first growing season following the severing of 20 large summer grape
stems, all 20 plants had sprouted and a few sprouts exceeded 12 feet
(3.7 m) in height. At the end of the second growing season, most first
year sprouts had died and a few new sprouts were present. By the end of
the third growing season, all summer grape plants were dead. A similar
3-year pattern was observed in thinned and unthinned 12- and 18-year-old
stands. However, sprouts grew into the canopy of a thinned 7-year-old
stand that averaged 9 to 10 feet (2.7-3.0 m) in height [26].

Trimble and Tyron [26] recommend that trees be a minimum of 25 feet (7.6
m) tall if summer grape stems are cut when the stand is thinned and a
minimum of 18 feet (5.5 m) tall if no thinning takes place. Summer
grape removal from shorter stands by stem severing should be postponed.
Herbicides are effective against summer grape in commercial forests that
are too young for control by severing. Summer grape should be cut 4
years before tree harvest to prevent the fast-growing sprouts from
interfering with the postharvest tree regeneration.

Summer grape seedlings are abundant after tree harvest but are not as
detrimental as sprouts to regenerating stands. One year after
clearcutting in West Virginia, there were 70,000 summer grape seedlings
per acre (172,900/ha). However, after 6 years, only 278 vines per acre
(687/ha) were established in tree crowns. Only 5 percent of the trees
were infested [25].

Seed collection and propagation techniques are described for summer
grape [20].
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bibliographic citation
Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Nutritional Value

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In a 4-year-old black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) stand, nitrogen
concentrations in summer grape leaves and stems averaged 2.36 and 0.44
percent oven-dry weight, respectively [2].
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bibliographic citation
Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Occurrence in North America

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AL AR CT DE FL GA IL IN IA KS
KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO NH
NJ NY NC OH OK PA RI SC TN TX
VT VA WV WI ON
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Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Other uses and values

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More info for the term: fruit

The fruit is edible and is used to make wine. Numerous cultivated forms have been developed from summer grape [29,31].
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Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Palatability

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Summer grape is highly preferred by wild turkey [29].
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Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Phenology

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More info for the term: fruit

In North Carolina, summer grape flowers emerge with leaves in mid-April. Leaves are fully grown by the end of May. Flowers bloom and pollination occurs the first 2 weeks of June, and fruit sets by late June [4]. In the southern Appalachian region, fruit ripens in early fall, with large clusters falling by mid-November [4,20,24].
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Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Plant Response to Fire

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More info for the terms: forest, prescribed fire, root crown, seed

Summer grape sprouts from the root crown after fire, and dormant seed in the soil probably germinates after fire when conditions are favorable. In an oak-hickory (Carya spp.) upland community in Missouri, summer grape was present in annually and periodically spring burned plots, but not in the unburned control plot [16]. In an upland oak forest in Tennessee, summer grape was more frequent on plots burned every 5 years by late winter fires than on the unburned control plot [5]. After twelve years of biennial burning on a longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) site in Louisiana, summer grape was present on at least half of the four plots assigned to each of four prescribed fire treatments: March, May, or June biennial fires and an unburned control [12].
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Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Post-fire Regeneration

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More info for the term: secondary colonizer

Ground residual colonizer (on-site, initial community) Secondary colonizer - off-site seed
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Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Regeneration Processes

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More info for the terms: forest, fruit, hardwood, layering, seed, vine, vines

Summer grape regenerates by vegetative reproduction and by seed. Sprouts originate from vegetative buds both above and below ground. Sprouts may grow 5 to 15 feet (1.5-4.6 m) in the first growing season. Sprouts survive only 3 years under a closed-canopy forest. Summer grape also reproduces by layering [25,26]. Summer grape produces seed 3 years after establishment. Good crops occur most years in those vines with access to full sunlight [3,4,20]. Summer grape vines that do not receive full sunlight may flower but usually do not bear grape clusters [3,4]. On fertile sites in North Carolina, cluster-bearing summer grape vines averaged 1.2 ounces oven-dry weight fruit per vine (37.1 g/vine) excluding fruit lost to disease and insect predation [4]. Seed is disseminated by wind and animals [20]. Summer grape fruit production is reduced by black rot fungus (Guignardia bidwelldii) and curculio beetle (Craponius inaequalis). In years of heavy black rot fungus attack, seeds may only be 50 percent viable [20]. In a 2-year study of a North Carolina mixed hardwood forest, 37 percent of the summer grape berries were infected by black rot and 57 percent were damaged by curculio beetles [4]. Summer grape seeds accumulate in the seedbank and germinate only when light and temperature conditions are favorable. In a West Virginia study, the germination rate averaged 19 percent after 11 years of soil storage [32]. Seedlings grow much more slowly than sprouts and the tops are usually winter-killed after the first growing season. In West Virginia seedling height after two growing seasons averaged 0.51 feet (0.16 m) [26].
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Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Successional Status

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Facultative Seral Species Summer grape is intolerant of shade. It persists in closed forests only if it is present in the upper canopy. Under closed canopies, summer grape seedlings are seldom present and vegetative sprouts die within 3 years [26].
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Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Synonyms

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Vitis bicolor Leconte [24]
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Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Taxonomy

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The currently accepted scientific name for summer grape is Vitis
aestivalis Michx. (Vitaceae) [10,18,24].

The following two varieties are recognized:

V. a. var. aestivalis (summer grape)
V. a. var. argentifolia (Munson) Fern. (silverleaf grape) [10,18,24]
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Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Vitis aestivalis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Vitis aestivalis

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Vitis aestivalis, the summer grape,[1] or pigeon grape[2] is a species of grape native to eastern North America from southern Ontario east to Maine, west to Oklahoma, and south to Florida and Texas.[3][4] It is a vigorous vine, growing to 10 m or more high in trees. The leaves are 7–20 cm long, suborbicular, and usually a little broader than long; they are variable in shape, from unlobed to deeply three- or five-lobed, green above, and densely hairy below. The flowers are produced at every 3rd node[2] in a dense panicle 5–15 cm long. The fruit is a small grape 5–14 mm diameter, dark purple or black in colour.[5] It is the official state grape of Missouri.[6] Summer grape prefers a drier upland habitat.[2]

The four varieties are:[3]

  • V. a. var. aestivalis
  • V. a. var. bicolor Deam (syn. var. argentifolia Fernald; Silverleaf Grape), formerly called Vitis bicolor, but now considered a northern variation of Vitis aestivalis, native range is in the Northeastern United States and parts of Southern Ontario
  • V. a. var. lincecumii (Buckley) Munson
  • V. a. var. bourquiniana L.H. Bailey, native to the south, sometimes called Vitis bourquiniana, has tomentose undersides to the leaves

Cultivation and uses

Fruits of Vitis aestivalis

Several cultivars have been selected, including 'Norton', a cultivar with a substantial V. aestivalis background, is believed to be the oldest American grape cultivar in commercial production.

Inter specific-hybrids made with the species V. aestivalis, such as Norton, have shown several useful traits for commercial wine production when compared with other North American native grape varieties. These traits include: lower acidity, neutral, "vinifera-like" flavour profile, good tannin structure, and excellent disease resistance.

Unlike most other species in genus Vitis, V. aestivalis does not propagate well through dormant cuttings. This has been a limiting factor for its use in commercial viticulture despite the species's promising oenological characteristics. Propagation of V. aestivalis specimens must typically be made through layering or through green cuttings. The species typically does not tolerate highly calcareous soils.[7]

It has been claimed that a variety of V. aestivalis was cultivated by the Cherokees and used in some of their sacred rituals.[8]

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Vitis aestivalis". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Rhoads, Block (5 September 2007). The Plants of Pennsylvania (2 ed.). ISBN 978-0-8122-4003-0.
  3. ^ a b "Vitis aestivalis". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  4. ^ Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  5. ^ Oklahoma University: Vitis aestivalis
  6. ^ http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/chapters/chap010.htm
  7. ^ Appellation America: Norton / Cynthiana
  8. ^ Mooney, James (1992). History, Myths, and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees. Historical Images. ISBN 0-914875-19-1.

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Vitis aestivalis: Brief Summary

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Vitis aestivalis, the summer grape, or pigeon grape is a species of grape native to eastern North America from southern Ontario east to Maine, west to Oklahoma, and south to Florida and Texas. It is a vigorous vine, growing to 10 m or more high in trees. The leaves are 7–20 cm long, suborbicular, and usually a little broader than long; they are variable in shape, from unlobed to deeply three- or five-lobed, green above, and densely hairy below. The flowers are produced at every 3rd node in a dense panicle 5–15 cm long. The fruit is a small grape 5–14 mm diameter, dark purple or black in colour. It is the official state grape of Missouri. Summer grape prefers a drier upland habitat.

The four varieties are:

V. a. var. aestivalis V. a. var. bicolor Deam (syn. var. argentifolia Fernald; Silverleaf Grape), formerly called Vitis bicolor, but now considered a northern variation of Vitis aestivalis, native range is in the Northeastern United States and parts of Southern Ontario V. a. var. lincecumii (Buckley) Munson V. a. var. bourquiniana L.H. Bailey, native to the south, sometimes called Vitis bourquiniana, has tomentose undersides to the leaves
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