Wild Grape
Vitis spp.
Vitaceae (Grape Family)
▲▼ vines on fence
▲ seedling
▲ vines spreading in grassy area
▲▼stems and leaves, with tendrils
Wild Grape: (Not in Weeds of the Great Plains; pp. 352-353, Weeds of the Northeast)
· woody, simple perennial vine that climbs by use of tendrils
· develops large, woody/tuberous root system that can be difficult to kill, even with systemic herbicides
· climbs over fences, shrubs, trees, shading and sometimes killing covered plants
· two main “weedy” genera here:
· racoon grape, possum grape, false grape (Ampelopsis spp.):
o has ovate to heart-shaped leaves with serrated margins
o leaves are light green and glossy (not hairy)
o fruit is white to bluish white and purple
· river grape, fox grape (Vitis spp.):
o has palmately lobed leaves
o leaves light-green to gray-green and somewhat hairy, at least on veins on underside
o can develop large trunk with stringy, peeling brown bark
o more closely related to commercial grapes