Description
Vitis – Grape – Vine – Grape Vine –
There are about 65 woody, deciduous tendril climbers, occasionally shrubs, within the Vitaceae family, in this genus. They occur in woodland, woodland margins, and thickets in the Northern Hemisphere. They have flaking bark and alternate, simple to lobed, sometimes toothed leaves often colors well in autumn. Tiny 5 petalled green flowers are produced in panicles from the leaf axils in summer and are followed by fruits (grapes), which in some species are edible or used to make wine. The ornamental grapes are cultivated for their foliage and fruits, grow over trellis, pergola, or fence, or through a large shrub or tree, or train against a wall.
Grow in well drained, preferably neutral to alkaline, humus rich soil in full sun or partial shade.
Prone to downy mildew, canker, dieback, gray mold (botrytis), Pierce’s disease, black rot, powdery mildew, mushroom root rot, and various leaf spots, Grape leaf skeletonizer, Japanese beetle, scale insects, mealy bugs, black vine weevil, and the American root aphid, phylloxera.
V. amurensis – Amur Grape – This vigorous, woody, deciduous climber, sometimes a shrub is found naturally occurring in China, Korea, and Japan but is very popular in the United Kingdom can climb to 50’ feet high. Young shoots are often tinged red and carry broadly ovate, often shallowly 3 lobed, sharply toothed, dark green leaves, to 12” long. The leaves turn red and purple in autumn. Bears small, unpalatable, egg shaped, white bloomed grapes, ½” across in late summer. Resistant to frost but not drought.
Zones 4-9
