Vitis palmata
Vahl
Red grape
(c) Robby Deans, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Robby Deans
(c) Christopher David Benda, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Christopher David Benda, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit, Leaves
The fruit can be eaten raw or dried for winter use, becoming sweet when fully ripe. Berries grow up to 10mm in diameter and are carried in small bunches. Young leaves are used to wrap other foods before baking, lending them a pleasant flavour. Young tendrils can be eaten raw or cooked and are used as a snack.
Dangerous Lookalikes
This plant can be confused with the following toxic species. Always verify identification carefully before consuming any wild plant.
Canadian Moonseed: No tendrils, single crescent/moon-shaped seed, leaf stem attaches to underside of leaf.
Red grape: Vine with tendrils, round seeds, leaf stem at edge of leaf, bark that peels.
Where to Find It
It is a temperate plant.
North America, USA,
How to Identify
A deciduous climbing vine reaching 20 m, hardy to UK zone 5. Flowers June to July with seeds ripening September to October. Hermaphroditic and insect-pollinated. Tolerates light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with good drainage; accepts mildly acid to mildly alkaline pH. Grows in semi-shade or full sun in dry or moist soil.
How to Grow
Prefers a deep rich moist well-drained moderately fertile loam. Grows best in a calcareous soil. Succeeds in sun or partial shade though a warm sunny position is required for the fruit to ripen. Plants climb by means of tendrils. Any pruning should be carried out in winter when the plants are dormant otherwise they bleed profusely. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus.
Propagation: Seed is best sown in a cold frame as soon as it ripens. Six weeks of cold stratification improves germination rates, so stored seed should be sown in a cold frame as soon as it is obtained. Germination usually occurs in the first spring but may take another 12 months. Prick seedlings into individual pots when large enough to handle, overwinter in a cold frame, and plant out in early summer. Hardwood cuttings of the current season's growth can be taken in December or January and rooted in a frame. These may be 15–30cm long, or short single-bud sections about 5cm long. For the shorter sections, remove a thin strip of bark roughly 3cm long from the lower side to encourage callusing and rooting; these smaller cuttings need more protection than longer ones. Layering is also an option.
Medicinal Uses
None known.
Other Uses
A yellow dye is obtained from fresh or dried leaves.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Vitis palmata (common names are catbird grape, cat grape, and Missouri grape) is a New World species of tall, climbing liana in the grape family native to the south-central and southeastern parts of the United States, from Texas east to Florida and northwards along the Mississippi Valley to Illinois. There are additional reports of isolated populations in the Northeast, but these are probably introductions.) The species does best in wet habitats but is adaptable enough to occasionally take root in higher-ground habitats. It is sometimes found at the edges of fences.
Notes
There are 60 to 70 species of Vitis.
Names & Synonyms
References (2)
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
- Symb. bot. 3:42. 1794
