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Native Plant Trust: Go Botany Discover thousands of New England plants

Vitis aestivalis — summer grape

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Facts

An enthusiastic climber, summer grape vine climbs nearly all the tree species with which it co-occurs, scaling heights over 30 feet (9m). Since ripe grape production peaks in early November, this plant is a critical food source for more than 80 species of birds as they stoke up for their migrations, and mammals, including bears, which are building fat reserves for hibernation.

Habitat

Forests, shrublands or thickets, talus and rocky slopes, woodlands

New England distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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North America distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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Characteristics

Habitat
terrestrial
New England state
  • Connecticut
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont
Growth form
the plant is a liana (a woody plant with a vine-like growth form)
Leaf type
the leaf blade is simple (lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
Leaves per node
there is one leaf per node along the stem
Leaf blade edges
the edge of the leaf blade has lobes, or it has both teeth and lobes
Leaf duration
the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
armature on plant
the plant does not have spines, prickles, or thorns
Leaf blade length
Up to 200 mm
Leaf blade width
100–300 mm
Leaf stalk
the leaves have leaf stalks
Fruit type (general)
the fruit is fleshy
Bark texture
the bark of an adult plant peels off easily or hangs off
Twig winter color
  • brown
  • red
Bud scale number
there are two scales on the winter bud, and their edges meet
Show all characteristics

  • Buds or leaf scars

    Bud scale number
    there are two scales on the winter bud, and their edges meet
    Bud scar shape (Fraxinus)
    NA
    Collateral buds
    there are no collateral buds on the sides of the branches
    Leaf scar arrangement
    there is one leaf scar per node on the stem or twig
    Superposed buds
    there are no superposed buds on the branch
    Winter bud scales
    the winter bud is perulate (partially or completely covered with one or more scales)
    Winter bud shape
    the winter buds are globose (spherical, globe-shaped)
    Winter bud stalks
    the winter buds have no stalks

  • Flowers

    Anther color
    the anthers show no hint of a pink, reddish or purplish tint
    Carpels fused
    the carpels are fused to one another
    Enlarged sterile flowers
    there are no enlarged sterile flowers on the plant
    Flower petal color
    yellow or green
    Flower symmetry
    there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
    Hairs on ovary (Amelanchier)
    NA
    Hypanthium present
    the flower does not have a hypanthium
    Inflorescence hairs
    there are no hairs on the inflorescence
    Inflorescence type
    the inflorescence is a panicle (branched with the individual flowers on stalks)
    Number of pistils
    1
    Ovary position
    the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
    Petal and sepal arrangement
    the flower includes two cycles of petal- or sepal-like structures
    Petal appearance
    the petals are thin and delicate, and pigmented (colored other than green or brown)
    Petal fusion
    the perianth parts are separate
    Sepal appearance
    the sepals resemble leaves in color and texture
    Sepal cilia (Ilex)
    NA
    Sepal tip glands
    there are no glands at the tips of the sepal lobes
    Stamen number
    5
    Stamen position relative to petals
    the stamens are lined up with the petals (antepetalous)

  • Fruits or seeds

    Berry color
    • black
    • purple
    Fruit type (general)
    the fruit is fleshy
    Fruit type (specific)
    the fruit is a berry (fleshy, with the wall enclosing one or more sections, with two or more seeds)
    Nut with spines (Fagaceae)
    NA
    Wings on fruit
    there are no wings on the fruit

  • Glands or sap

    Sap color
    the sap is clear and watery
    Stalked glands on fruit (Rosa)
    NA

  • Growth form

    Growth form
    the plant is a liana (a woody plant with a vine-like growth form)

  • Leaves

    Hairs on underside of leaf blade
    • the underside of the leaf has hairs on it
    • the underside of the leaf has no hairs
    Hairs on upper side of leaf blade
    • the upper side of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy
    • the upper side of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
    Leaf blade base shape
    The base of the leaf blade is cordate (heart-shaped, with rounded lobes)
    Leaf blade base symmetry
    the leaf blade base is symmetrical
    Leaf blade bloom
    • the underside of the leaf has no noticeable bloom
    • there is a noticeable powdery or waxy bloom on the underside of the leaf
    Leaf blade edges
    the edge of the leaf blade has lobes, or it has both teeth and lobes
    Leaf blade edges (Acer)
    NA
    Leaf blade flatness
    the leaf is flat (planar) at the edges
    Leaf blade hairs
    • at least some of the hairs on the leaf blade are reddish-brown, and they do not have glands
    • the leaf blade has tangled or woolly-looking hairs, without glands
    Leaf blade length
    Up to 200 mm
    Leaf blade scales
    there are no scales on the leaf blades
    Leaf blade shape
    • the leaf blade is orbicular (roughly circular, as wide as long)
    • the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
    Leaf blade texture
    the leaf blade is herbaceous (has a leafy texture)
    Leaf blade translucent dots
    there are no translucent dots on the leaf blade
    Leaf blade vein pattern
    the main veins of the leaf blade are palmate (radiate out from the base, like a hand)
    Leaf blade veins
    the leaf blade has three or more main veins running from the base (or near the base) towards the tip
    Leaf blade width
    100–300 mm
    Leaf duration
    the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
    Leaf form
    the plant is broad-leaved (with broadly flattened leaf blades)
    Leaf lobe tips (Quercus)
    NA
    Leaf midrib glands
    the midrib of the leaf blade lacks glands on the upper surface
    Leaf stalk
    the leaves have leaf stalks
    Leaf stalk attachment to leaf
    the petiole attaches at the basal margin of the leaf blade
    Leaf stalk nectaries
    there are no nectaries on the leaf stalk
    Leaf stalk shape
    the leaf stalk is not flattened
    Leaf teeth
    • the leaf blade margin is crenate (with rounded teeth) or crenulate (with tiny, rounded teeth)
    • the leaf blade margin is serrate (with forward-pointing) or dentate (with outward-pointing) with medium-sized to coarse teeth
    Leaf teeth hairs (Carya)
    NA
    Leaf type
    the leaf blade is simple (lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
    Leaves per node
    there is one leaf per node along the stem
    Specific leaf type
    the leaves are simple (lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets
    Stipules
    the plant has stipules

  • Place

    Habitat
    terrestrial
    New England state
    • Connecticut
    • Maine
    • Massachusetts
    • New Hampshire
    • Rhode Island
    • Vermont
    Specific habitat
    • forests
    • shrublands or thickets
    • talus or rocky slopes
    • woodlands

  • Scent

    Plant odor
    the plant does not have much of an odor, or it has an unpleasant or repellant odor

  • Stem, shoot, branch

    Aerial roots
    the plant has no aerial roots
    Bark texture
    the bark of an adult plant peels off easily or hangs off
    Branch brittleness (willows only)
    NA
    Branch cross-section
    the branch is circular in cross-section, or it has five or more sides, so that there are no sharp angles
    First-year cane (Rubus)
    NA
    Lenticels on twigs
    there are no lenticels on the twigs, or they are very hard to see
    Pith shape
    the outline of the pith in a twig is roughly round
    Pith type
    the pith inside the twig is solid, completely filled with spongy tissue
    Short shoots
    there are no peg- or knob-like shoots present
    Twig bloom
    the twig has bloom on it
    Twig hairs
    • the twigs have few or no hairs on them
    • the twigs have hairs, but the hairs do not have glands
    Twig papillae (Vaccinium species only)
    NA
    Twig scales
    there are no scales on the twig surface
    Twig winter color
    • brown
    • red
    Wings on branch
    the branch does not have wings on it
    armature on plant
    the plant does not have spines, prickles, or thorns

Wetland status

Usually occurs in non-wetlands, but occasionally in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACU)

In New England

Distribution

Connecticut
present
Maine
present
Massachusetts
present
New Hampshire
present
Rhode Island
present
Vermont
present

Conservation status

Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.

Maine
rare (S-rank: S2), threatened (code: T)
Massachusetts
unranked (S-rank: SNR)

var. aestivalis

Massachusetts
unranked (S-rank: SNR)

var. argentifolia

Massachusetts
unranked (S-rank: SNR)

var. bicolor

Massachusetts
unranked (S-rank: SNR)

Subspecies and varieties

Vitis aestivalis Michx. var. aestivalis is known from CT, MA, RI. V. aestivalis var. bicolor Deam is known from CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT.

From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key

1.  Vitis aestivalis Michx. N

summer grape.  1a. Vitis lincecumii Buckl. var. glauca Munson;  1b. Vitis aestivalis Michx. var. argentifolia (Munson) Fern.; V. argentifolia Munson; V. bicolor Le Conte; V. lecontiana House • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Forests, woodlands, forest fragments, roadsides, rocky and ledgy openings, talus.

1a.  Mature leaf blades slightly to strongly pubescent abaxially with a thin layer of tomentum; nodes usually not glaucous; nodal diaphragms usually more than 2 mm thick; mature 3- or 4- seeded berries 9–14 mm thick … 1a. V. aestivalis var. aestivalis

1b.  Mature leaf blades glabrous to glabrate abaxially; nodes usually glaucous; nodal diaphragms usually less than 2 mm thick; mature 3- or 4-seeded berries 8–9 mm thick 
 … 1b. V. aestivalis var. bicolor Deam

Variety aestivalis is known from CT, MA, RI. Variety bicolor is known from CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT.

Native to North America?

Yes

Sometimes confused with

Vitis labrusca:
tendrils and/or inflorescences produced from 3-7 consecutive nodes and berries mostly 10-20 mm thick (vs. V. aestivalis, with tendrils and/or inflorescences produced from no more than 2 consecutive nodes and berries 5-14 mm thick). Vitis riparia: lower surface of leaf blades green and nodes of branchlets without bloom (vs. V. aestivlais, with the lower surface of leaf blades either with a bloom or partially concealed by hairs, in either case the green color of the leaf obscured, and branchlets often with a bloom about the nodes).

Synonyms

  • Vitis aestivalis var. argentifolia (Munson) Fern.
  • Vitis argentifolia Munson
  • Vitis bicolor Le Conte
  • Vitis lecontiana House

Family

Vitaceae

Genus

Vitis