''Vitis aestivalis'', the summer grape, or pigeon grape is a species of

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry (botany), berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non-Climacteric (botany), climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of ...

native to eastern North America from southern

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

east to

Maine Maine () is a U.S. state, state in the New England and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and territories of Canad ...

, west to Oklahoma, and south to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. It is a vigorous

vine A vine ( Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners thems ...

, growing to 10 m or more high in

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s. 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

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

s are produced at every 3rd node in a dense

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is ...

5–15 cm long. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...

is a small

5–14 mm diameter, dark purple or black in colour.Oklahoma University
''Vitis aestivalis''
/ref> It is the official state grape of

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

.http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/chapters/chap010.htm 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 Southern Ontario is a primary region of the province of Ontario, Canada, the other primary region being Northern Ontario. It is the most densely populated and southernmost region in Canada. The exact northern boundary of Southern Ontario is dis ...

*''V. a.'' var. ''lincecumii'' (Buckley) Munson *''V. a.'' var. ''bourquiniana'' L.H. Bailey, native to the south, sometimes called ''Vitis bourquiniana'', has

tomentose Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a plan ...

undersides to the leaves

Cultivation and uses

Several

cultivars A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

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 Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are ...

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 Oenology (also enology; ) is the science and study of wine and winemaking. Oenology is distinct from viticulture, which is the science of the growing, cultivation, and harvesting of grapes. The English word oenology derives from the Greek word ' ...

characteristics. Propagation of ''V. aestivalis'' specimens must typically be made through

layering Layering has evolved as a common means of vegetative propagation of numerous species in natural environments. Layering is also utilized by horticulturists to propagate desirable plants. Natural layering typically occurs when a branch touches ...

or through green cuttings. The species typically does not tolerate highly

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an a ...

soils.Appellation America
''Norton / Cynthiana''
/ref> It has been claimed that a variety of ''V. aestivalis'' was cultivated by the

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, th ...

s and used in some of their sacred rituals.

Gallery

File:Vitis aestivalis BotGardBln07122011A.JPG File:Vitis aestivalis (USDA).jpg File:Vitis aestivalis 1120454.jpg

References

External links

Flora of North America: ''Vitis aestivalis''Plants of the World Online: ''Vitis aestivalis''

''Vitis aestivalis'' 'Norton'
from a Missouri Botanical Gardens website
Official state grape of Missouri
from a

Missouri General Assembly The Missouri General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by ...

website {{Taxonbar, from=Q136885 aestivalis Flora of the Southeastern United States Plants described in 1803 Flora of the Northeastern United States Flora of the North-Central United States Flora of Texas Flora of Ontario Flora without expected TNC conservation status

Cultivation and uses

Gallery

See also

References

External links