Part 29 (1/2)
Owing to the fact that Cordifolia and Vulpina have been badly confused, the limits of the habitat of this species are difficult to determine. The best authorities give the northern limit as New York or the Great Lakes. The eastern limit is the Atlantic Ocean and the southern limit, the Gulf of Mexico. It extends westward, according to Engelmann, to the western limits of the wooded portion of the Mississippi Valley in the North, and, according to Munson, to the Brazos River, Texas, in the South. It is found along creeks and river banks sometimes mixed with Vulpina, having about the same soil adaptations as that species. It is a very common species in the middle states and frequently grows on limestone soils, but is not indigenous to such soils.
Cordifolia makes a good stock for grafting, being vigorous and forming a good union with most of our cultivated grapes. It is seldom used for this purpose, however, on account of the difficulty of propagating it by means of cuttings. For the same reason vines of it are seldom found in cultivation.
6. _Vitis Berlandieri_, Planch. Mountain-Grape. Spanish Grape. Fall Grape. Winter Grape. Little Mountain Grape.
Vine vigorous, climbing; shoots more or less angled and p.u.b.escent; p.u.b.escence remaining only in patches on mature wood; canes mostly with short internodes; diaphragms thick; tendrils intermittent, long, strong, bifid or trifid. Leaves with small stipules; leaf-blade large, broadly cordate, notched or shortly three-lobed; petiolar sinus rather open, V- or U-shaped, margin with broad but rather shallow teeth, rather dark glossy green above, grayish p.u.b.escence below when young; becoming glabrous and even glossy except on ribs and veins, when mature. Cl.u.s.ters large, compact, compound, with long peduncle. Berries small, black, with thin bloom, juicy, rather tart but pleasant tasting when thoroughly ripe. Seeds few, small, short, plump, oval or roundish, with short beak; chalaza oval or roundish, distinct; raphe narrow, slightly distinct to indistinct. Leafing, flowering and ripening fruit very late.
Berlandieri is a native of the limestone hills of southwest Texas and adjacent Mexico. It grows in the same region with _V. monticola_, but is less restricted locally, growing from the tops of the hills down and along the creek bottoms of these regions. Its great virtue is that it withstands a soil largely composed of lime, being superior to all other American species in this respect. This and its moderate degree of vigor have recommended it to the French growers as a stock for their calcareous soils. The roots are strong, thick, and very resistant to phylloxera. It is propagated by cuttings with comparative ease, but its varieties are variable, some not rooting at all easily.
While the fruit of this species shows a large cl.u.s.ter, the berries are small and sour, and Berlandieri is not regarded as having promise for culture in America.
7. _Vitis aestivalis_, Michx. Blue Grape. Bunch Grape. Summer Grape.
Little Grape. Duck-shot Grape. Swamp Grape. Chicken Grape. Pigeon Grape.
Vine very vigorous, shoots p.u.b.escent or smooth when young; diaphragms thick; tendrils intermittent, usually bifid. Leaves with short, broad stipules; leaf-blade large, thin when young but becoming thick; petiolar sinus deep, usually narrow, frequently overlapping; margin rarely entire, usually three- to five-lobed; teeth dentate, shallow, wide; upper surface dark green; lower surface with more or less reddish or rusty p.u.b.escence which, in mature leaves, usually shows in patches on the ribs and veins; petioles frequently p.u.b.escent. Cl.u.s.ters long, not much branched, with long peduncle. Berries small, with moderate amount of bloom, usually astringent. Seeds two to three, of medium size, plump, smooth, not notched; chalaza oval, distinct; raphe a distinct cord-like ridge. Leafing and ripening fruit late to very late.
The division of the original species has reduced the habitat materially, confining it to the southeastern part of the United States from southern New York to Florida and westward to the Mississippi River. aestivalis grows in thickets and openings in the woods and shows no such fondness for streams as Vulpina, or for thick timber as Labrusca, but is generally confined to uplands. Under favorable circ.u.mstances, the vines grow to be very large. aestivalis is preeminently a wine grape. The fruit usually has a tart, acrid taste, due to the presence of a high percentage of acid, but there is also a large amount of sugar, the scale showing that juice from this species has a much higher percentage of sugar than the sweeter-tasting Labruscas. The wine made from varieties of aestivalis is very rich in coloring matter and is used by some European vintners to mix with the must of European sorts in order to give the combined product a higher color. The berries are dest.i.tute of pulp, have a comparatively thin, tough skin and a peculiar spicy flavor. The berries hang to the bunch after becoming ripe much better than do those of Labrusca.
This species thrives in a lighter and shallower soil than Labrusca and appears to endure drought better, although not equaling in this respect either Vulpina or Rupestris. The French growers report that aestivalis is very liable to chlorosis on soils which contain much lime. The leaves are never injured by the sun and they resist the attacks of insects, such as leaf-hoppers, better than any other American species under cultivation. aestivalis is rarely injured by black-rot or mildew, according to American experience, but French growers speak of its being susceptible to both. The hard roots of aestivalis enable it to resist phylloxera, and varieties with any great amount of the blood of this species are seldom seriously injured by this insect. An objection to aestivalis, from a horticultural standpoint, is that it does not root well from cuttings. Many authorities speak of it as not rooting at all from cuttings, but this is an over-statement of the facts, as many of the wild and cultivated varieties are occasionally propagated in this manner, and some southern nurseries, located in particularly favorable situations, make a practice of propagating it by this method. Varieties of this species bear grafting well, especially in the vineyard.
_Vitis aestivalis Lincec.u.mii_, Munson. Post-oak Grape. Pine-wood Grape.
Turkey Grape.
Vine vigorous, sometimes climbing high upon trees, sometimes forming a bushy clump from two to six feet high; canes cylindrical, much rusty wool on shoots; tendrils intermittent.
Leaves very large, almost as wide as long; entire or three-, five-, or rarely seven-lobed; lobes frequently divided; sinuses, including petiolar sinus, deep; smooth above, and with more or less rusty p.u.b.escence below. (The north-Texas, southwestern Missouri and northern Arkansas form shows little or no p.u.b.escence but has fine p.r.i.c.kly spines at base of shoots and shows much blue bloom on shoots, canes and the under side of the leaves.) Fruit small to large, usually larger than typical aestivalis, usually black, with heavy bloom. Seeds larger than aestivalis, pear-shaped; chalaza roundish.
Lincec.u.mii inhabits the eastern half of Texas, western Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas and southern Missouri on high sandy land, frequently climbing post-oak trees, hence the name, post-oak grape, by which it is locally known.
Lincec.u.mii has attracted considerable attention through the work of H.
Jaeger and T. V. Munson in domesticating it, both of whom considered it one of the most, if not the most, promising form from which to secure cultivated varieties for the Southwest. The qualities which recommend it are: First, vigor; second, capacity to withstand rot and mildew; third, hardiness and capacity to endure hot and dry summers without injury; fourth, the large cl.u.s.ter and berry which were found on certain of the wild vines. The fruit is characteristic because of its dense bloom, firm, yet tender texture and peculiar flavor. The cultivated varieties have given satisfaction in many sections of the Central Western and Southern states. Like aestivalis, it is difficult to propagate from cuttings.
The north-Texas glaucous form of this variety mentioned in the technical description above is the _V. aestivalis glauca_ of Bailey.
This is the type of Lincec.u.mii that Munson has used in breeding work.
_Vitis aestivalis Bourquiniana_, Bailey. Southern aestivalis.
Bourquiniana differs chiefly from the type in having thinner leaves; the shoots and under side of the leaves are only slightly reddish-brown in color; the p.u.b.escence usually disappears at maturity; the leaves are more deeply lobed than is common in aestivalis; and the fruit is larger, sweeter and more juicy. Bourquiniana is known only in cultivation. The name was given by Munson, who ranks the group as a species. He includes therein many southern varieties, the most important of which are: Herbemont, Bertrand, Cunningham and Lenoir, grouped in the Herbemont section; and Devereaux, Louisiana and Warren, in the Devereaux section. Munson has traced the history of this interesting group and states that it was brought from southern France to America over one hundred fifty years ago by the Bourquin family of Savannah, Georgia. Many botanists are of the opinion that Bourquiniana is a hybrid. The hybrid supposition is corroborated to a degree by the characters being more or less intermediate between the supposed parent species, and also by the fact that up to date no wild form of Bourquiniana has been found. The only northern variety of any importance supposed to have Bourquiniana blood is the Delaware, and in this variety only a fraction of Bourquiniana blood is presumably present. Bourquiniana can be propagated from cuttings more easily than the typical aestivalis but not so readily as Labrusca, Vulpina or Vinifera. Many of the varieties of Bourquiniana show a marked susceptibility to mildew and black-rot; in fact, the whole Herbemont group is much inferior in this respect to the Norton group of aestivalis. The roots are somewhat hard, branch rather freely and are quite resistant to phylloxera.
8. _Vitis bicolor_, Le Conte. Blue Grape. Northern Summer Grape.
Northern aestivalis.
Vine vigorous, climbing; shoots cylindrical or angled, with long internodes, generally glabrous, usually showing much blue bloom, sometimes spiny at base; diaphragms thick; tendrils intermittent, long, usually bifid. Leaves with short, broad stipules; leaf-blade large; roundish-cordate, usually three-, sometimes on older growth shallowly five-lobed, rarely entire; petiolar sinus variable in depth, usually narrow; margin irregularly dentate; teeth ac.u.minate; glabrous above, usually glabrous below and showing much blue bloom which sometimes disappears late in the season; young leaves sometimes p.u.b.escent; petioles very long. Cl.u.s.ter of medium size, compact, simple; peduncle long. Berries small, black with much bloom, acid but pleasant tasting when ripe. Seeds small, plump, broadly oval, very short beak; chalaza oval, raised, distinct; raphe distinct, showing as a cord-like ridge.
Bicolor is readily distinguished from aestivalis by the absence of the reddish p.u.b.escence and by blooming slightly later. The habitat of Bicolor is to the north of that of aestivalis, occupying the northeastern, whereas aestivalis occupies the southeastern quarter of the United States. Like aestivalis, this species is not confined to streams and river banks but frequently grows on higher land also. It is found in north Missouri, Illinois, southwestern Wisconsin, Indiana, southern Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New York, southwestern Ontario, New Jersey and Maryland and by some botanists is reported as far south as western North Carolina and west Tennessee.
The horticultural characters of Bicolor are much the same as those of aestivalis. About the only points of difference are that it is much hardier (some of the Wisconsin vines stand a temperature as low as 20 degrees below zero); it is said to be slightly less resistant to mildew and more resistant to phylloxera. Like aestivalis, Bicolor does not thrive on limy soils and it is difficult to propagate from cuttings. The horticultural possibilities of Bicolor are probably much the same as those of aestivalis, although many think it to be more promising for the North. It is as yet cultivated but little. Its chief defect for domestication is the small size of the fruit.
9. _Vitis candicans_, Englem. Mustang Grape.