Vitis vinifera

The primary cultivated grape species, Vitis vinifera, is one of around 60 Vitis species. Species in this genus are native to the temperate zones of the northern hemisphere, with a few species reaching the tropics. In North America, there are around two dozen species. A number of species occur in Asia, but just one is native to Europe, Vitis vinifera. Vitis vinifera is by far the most economically important Vitis species and accounts for most commercial grape plantings, not just for wine. Nearly three quarters of the world's commercial grape production is devoted to wine grapes, around a quarter to table grapes, and much smaller amounts to dried grapes (raisins) and non-alcoholic grape juice.

Vitis vinifera is a vigorous climber, growing to a height of 16 to 20 m if left unpruned. It climbs by means of forked tendrils produced intermittently at two out of three vegetative nodes. Its leaves are 9 to 28 cm wide, long-stalked, palmately lobed, and coarsely toothed. The petals of the small greenish flowers are joined at the tips. The fruits are (technically) berries, with or without seeds.

Wild V. vinifera is found from the Atlantic to the western Himalayas. This is one of the oldest fruit crops in the Old World. Seeds have been found at a late Neolithic site (4500 BCE) in Cyprus, at early Bronze Age sites at Jericho (around 3200 BCE), and at other ancient sites in the Levant. Viticulture, including wine production, occurred in Egypt at least as early as 2400 BCE, as recorded in the hieroglyphics of the time. It is uncertain where this grape was first domesticated—possibly in Armenia or along the eastern shores of the Mediterranean. The Romans brought the crop to temperate European countries, including Britain. It was brought to the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492; Portugese and Spanish explorers brought it to North and South America. It was later brought to the Atlantic Coast of North America by British, French, and Dutch settlers (some hybridization likely occurred between this species and the North American natives V. rotundifolia [Muscadine Grape] and V. labrusca.)

Grapes contain a large amount of sugar (15 to 25%), with roughly equal amounts of glucose and fructose and only a trace of sucrose. Vitamin C content is low (around 3 mg/100g). The fruits contain tartaric acid and malic acid in similar concentrations (around 0.5 g/100g). The red and black grape pigments are anthocyanins.

Grapes are generally classified as either black (including red and purple) or white (including yellow and green). They may also be categorized by use as either table or dessert grapes (firm flesh and low acidity), wine grapes (soft flesh and high acidity), or dried grapes (firm flesh, high sugar, and moderate to low acidity). The number of cultivars of wine grape is in the thousands.

Note that the basic difference between red wine and white wine is that the skins are included in the former. Thus, only dark-skinned grapes can produce red wine, but dark-skinned grapes can also be used to produce white wines since the skin is removed.

In the mid-1800s the European wine industry was devastated by the appearance of a North American grape pest, the Grape Phylloxera, to which V. vinifera was extremely susceptible. Fortunately, grafting grapevines onto resistant American rootstocks turned out to be a workable solution and the European wine industry was saved.

"Maharashtra: Kolhapur Karnataka: Mysore Kerala: Idukki, Kollam Tamil Nadu: Coimbatore, Dharmapuri, Dindigul, Salem"

Vitis vinifera L.:
Ecuador (South America)
Guatemala (Mesoamerica)
Honduras (Mesoamerica)
Mexico (Mesoamerica)
Nicaragua (Mesoamerica)
United States (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Originated in central Asia but now occurs in many countries and regions of the world as a result of cultivation. The list of countries of occurrence is incomplete.

Canada

Origin: Exotic

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

United States

Origin: Exotic

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

Distribution: Native habitat unknown, probably native of Caspian and Caucaus region of S.W. Asia, cultivated extensively in Cent. Europe, Mediteranian, region, Iran, China, Japan, N. & S. Africa, Australia, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. In Pakistan it is cultivated in Baluchistan, Chitral, Swat, Baltistan, Astor & Kashmir.

Branchlets terete, with longitudinal ridges, glabrous or sparsely pilose; tendrils bifurcate. Leaves simple, conspicuously 3-5-lobed or cleft; stipules caducous; petiole 4-9 cm, nearly glabrous; leaf blade oval, 7-18 × 6-16 cm, basal veins 5, lateral veins 4 or 5 pairs, veinlets inconspicuously raised, base deeply cordate, notch rounded, 2 sides usually overlapping to nearly so, margin 22-27-toothed on each side, teeth large, irregular, and sharp, glabrous or sparsely pilose, apex of midlobes acute. Panicle sparse or dense, opposite to leaves, basal branches well developed, 10-20 cm; peduncle 2-4 cm, glabrous or with sparse arachnoid tomentum. Pedicel 1.5-2.5 mm, glabrous. Buds obovoid, 2-3 mm, apex rounded. Calyx glabrous, undulate. Filaments filiform, 0.6-1 mm; anthers yellow, oval, 0.4-0.8 mm. Pistil entirely abortive in male flowers; ovary oval; style short; stigma expanded. Berry globose or elliptic, 1.5-2 cm in diam. Seeds obovoid to obelliptic, apex subrounded, chalazal knot elliptic, raphe slightly raised, ventral holes broadly furrowed upward ca. 1/4 from base. Fl. Apr-May, fr. Aug-Sep. 2n = 38*.

A large shrub, main stem stout, reaching a girth of 1.5 m. Leaves orbicular, cordate, pentagonal or dissected, 10.5-20 x 7-15 cm, serrate or irregularly dentate, acuminate, cordate, glabrous or glabrescent above, sparsely grey tomentose beneath and glabrescent membranous; petiole 4-10 cm long. Peduncle 4-5 cm long, often bearing unbranched tendril. Flower bisexual or functionally pistillate with shorter sterile stamens, greenish in colour, c. 1.5 x 1 mm; pedicel c. 2 mm long, wiry, elongated and thickened in fruit. Calyx minute, cupular. Petals 5, c. 1.5 mm long, ± lanceolate. Disc with 5 hypogynous glands, adnate to the base of ovary. Berry variable in size, shape and colour, 6-22 mm long, purple, black-violet, red, pinkish or greenish, 2-4 seeded, with juicy sweet or sour pulp. Seed pyriform or ovoid, 5-6 mm long, beaked.

Systems

• Terrestrial

Cultivated throughout China for grapes and wine-making [native to SW Asia and SE Europe].

Foodplant / gall
Agrobacterium tumefaciens causes gall of stem (esp. base) of Vitis vinifera

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / pathogen
Armillaria mellea s.l. infects and damages Vitis vinifera
Other: minor host/prey

Foodplant / spot causer
emergent, free, red-brown pycnidium of Ascochyta coelomycetous anamorph of Ascochyta rufo-maculans causes spots on live fruit of Vitis vinifera

Foodplant / open feeder
adult of Bromius obscurus grazes on live leaf of Vitis vinifera
Remarks: season: 5-10

Foodplant / saprobe
Coniothyrium coelomycetous anamorph of Coniothyrium diplodiella is saprobic on fruit stalk of Vitis vinifera

Foodplant / sap sucker
Daktulosphaira vitifoliae sucks sap of live root of Vitis vinifera
Other: major host/prey

Foodplant / feeds on
pycnidium of Diplodia coelomycetous anamorph of Diplodia viticola feeds on Vitis vinifera

Plant / resting place / on
Drepanothrips reuteri may be found on live Vitis vinifera
Other: major host/prey

Foodplant / spot causer
hypophyllous acervulus of Sphaceloma coelomycetous anamorph of Elsino causes spots on live fruit of Vitis vinifera

Foodplant / parasite
Erysiphe necator parasitises Vitis vinifera

Foodplant / pathogen
Glomerella cingulata infects and damages fruit of Vitis vinifera

Foodplant / saprobe
pycnidium of Hendersonia coelomycetous anamorph of Hendersonia sarmentorum is saprobic on dead Vitis vinifera

Foodplant / gall
Meloidogyne incognita causes gall of root of Vitis vinifera

Foodplant / saprobe
Pestalotia coelomycetous anamorph of Pestalotia pezizoides is saprobic on dead Vitis vinifera

Foodplant / saprobe
scattered, becoming erumpent pycnidium of Phomopsis coelomycetous anamorph of Phomopsis viticola is saprobic on dead branch of Vitis vinifera
Remarks: season: 4-7

Foodplant / parasite
hypophyllous colony of sporangium of Plasmopara viticola parasitises live leaf of Vitis vinifera

Foodplant / spot causer
minute, black, immersed then erumpent pycnidium of Rhabdospora coelomycetous anamorph of Rhabdospora muggenburgii causes spots on branch of Vitis vinifera
Remarks: season: 4

Foodplant / pathogen
Rosellinia necatrix infects and damages yellowing, prematurely falling leaf of Vitis vinifera
Other: major host/prey

Foodplant / feeds on
amphigenous, fuscous, subconglomerate pycnidium of Septoria coelomycetous anamorph of Septoria badhami feeds on leaf of Vitis vinifera
Remarks: season: 10-11

Fl. Per.: May -July. Fr. Per:August-October.

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 3
Specimens with Barcodes: 9
Species With Barcodes: 1

Year Assessed

Assessor/s

Reviewer/s

Contributor/s

Justification

Rounded Global Status Rank: G4 - Apparently Secure

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable

Major Threats

These species are introduced in Switzerland.