By Audrey Vizena
Vitis rotundifolia belongs to sub-genus Muscadiniae,
Family Vitacae, Order Rhamnales, and Phylum Terebinthates.
General Information
Vitis rotundifolia is one of three species included
in a separate sub-genus called Muscadiniae. Modern cultivated
grapes of this species are commonly called muscadines, with the
bronze colored types occasionally referred to as scuppernongs
(Galletta, 1990).
Identification
Muscadines are easily identified from others in the
Vitis genus. It is very vigorous and its branches may grow to
a length of 100 ft. (Everett, 1990). The fruit does not grow in
conventional bunches, and when ripe it can be readily shaken from
its vine (Gohdes, 1982). Muscadine clusters are small, usually
containing 6 - 24 berries( Galletta,1990). See the table below
for a general identification between muscadines and other species
of Vitis.
Lenticels | ||
Tendrils | ||
Seeds | ||
Pith | ||
Chromosome # | ||
# Species Identified |
Table 1. Differences between Vitis and Muscadine
(incomplete table courtesy Mullins, et. All, 1992).
Geography
Muscadines occur only in North America( Mullins,
et. all, 1992) and they are generally limited in their production
to the cotton belt areas of the southern United States, which
have a moderate climate (Galetta, 1990). The V. Rotundifolia is
abundant all throughout the southern states, where it grows wild,
and is also cultivated as a fruit crop. They are native to Georgia
and have been produced there for decades. The climate and soil
in Georgia are suitable for production muscadines as well as bunch
grapes. However, bunch grapes are more adapted to North Georgia,
while muscadines thrive in middle and South Georgia (Florkowski,
1993). V.rotundifolia occurs in Athens Clarke County (Jones, 1990).and
has also been seen at Sam's Farm in a 1 hectare plot marked off
into a river quadrat and upland quadrat. Here, it grows abundantly
(personal observation), and it can be assumed to be very common
throughout Georgia.
Natural History
As previously mentioned, the vine V. rotundifolia
is limited to the southern United States, where there is a moderate
climate. Vines should not be planted where temperatures drop below
ten degrees Fahrenheit. Muscadine grapes are used not only n wine
production, but also in unfermented juice, pies, jellies, and
sauces. Mature berries of most cultivars do not adhere to stems
as well as bunch grapes. Also, berries ripen unevenly because
of the long flowering period (early May - mid June), and the main
crop is set over a 3 -4 week period ( Galletta, 1990).
References
Everett, T.H. (Ed.) (1990). New Illustrated Encyclopedia of
Grapvines. New York, NY: Greystone Press.
Florkowski, W., Hubbard E. And Snipes, L Commercial Bunch grapes
and Muscadine Vine Inventory, Georgia 1991. Research Report
# 615. 1993.
Galletta, G.J. (Ed.) (1990). Small Fruit Crop Management. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Gohdes, C. (1982). Scuppernnong: North Carolina's Grape and
It's Wines. North Carolina: Duke University Press.
Jones, S. And Coile, N. Checklist of the Vascular Flora of
Clarke County Georgia. 1990. Herbarium Dept. Of Biology. University
of Georgia.
Mullins, M., Bouquet, A., & Williams, L. (1992). Biology
of the Grapevine. Cambridge: University Press.