''Vitis'' 'Ornamental Grape', also known as ornamental grapevine, Ganzin glory, glory vine and crimson glory, is a nonfruiting

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

that is a

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two diff ...

of ''

Vitis vinifera ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, is a species of flowering plant, native to the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean region, Central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern ...

'' ( Aramon noir) and ''

Vitis rupestris ''Vitis rupestris'' is a species of grape native to the United States that is known by many common names including July, Coon, sand, sugar, beach, bush, currant, ingar, rock, and mountain grape. It is used for breeding several French-American hy ...

'' (

Alicante Ganzin Alicante Ganzin is a red French wine grape variety. Unlike most ''Vitis vinifera'' wine grapes, Alicante Ganzin is a teinturier with dark flesh that produces red juice. Most varieties used to produce red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, ...

).Ganzin, V. (1882). Les premiers hybrids d'Aramon par V. rupestris. Vigne arnér. Vitic. Europe 6:78-81.

Origins

The vine was bred in 1879 by Victor Ganzin (1838-1900) in

Le Pradet Le Pradet (; ) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Olive oil, vegetables and wine grape (including rare Tibouren variety used for rose wine) are produced in the local farms. P ...

near

Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...

in France, who had anticipated to mix the fruit characteristics of V. vinifera with V. Rupestris's resistant feature to root damage by

phylloxera Grape phylloxera is an insect pest of grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. Grape phylloxera (''Daktulosphaira vitifoliae'' (Fitch 1855) belongs to the family Phylloxeridae, within the order Hemiptera, bugs); orig ...

. It was collected at the

CSIRO The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government agency that is responsible for scientific research and its commercial and industrial applications. CSIRO works with leading organisations arou ...

Merbein Merbein is a town in the Rural City of Mildura, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. It is on the Calder Highway between Mildura and the Murray River crossing at the Murray River crossings, Abbotsford Bridge to Curlwaa, New South Wales, Cu ...

, where it was imported from the Viticultural Research Station at

Nuriootpa, South Australia Nuriootpa ( ) is a town in South Australia and the major commercial centre of the Barossa Valley, about an hour's drive north of the state capital, Adelaide. The name of the town is reputed to be the local Australian Aborigine, Aboriginal word f ...

in 1963 and was called 'Tinto' (syn. 'Teinturier Male').

Description

The ornamental grape is hardy and generally nonfruiting, vigorously growing, deciduous

vine A vine is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas, or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; Benjamin; Da ...

with glossy leaves that have a coppery colour when young which mature to greyish green, turning to

amber Amber is fossilized tree resin. Examples of it have been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since the Neolithic times, and worked as a gemstone since antiquity."Amber" (2004). In Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen (eds.) ''Encyclopedia ...

and orange in early autumn, and then become a brilliant scarlet or

crimson Crimson is a rich, deep red color, inclining to purple. It originally meant the color of the kermes dye produced from a scale insect, '' Kermes vermilio'', but the name is now sometimes also used as a generic term for slightly bluish-red col ...

by mid-autumn. The leaves tend to be entire to moderately three-lobed, having a thin V-shaped

petiolar In botany, the petiole () is the stalk that attaches the leaf blade to the stem. It is able to twist the leaf to face the sun, producing a characteristic foliage arrangement (spacing of blades), and also optimizing its exposure to sunlight. Outg ...

sinus Sinus may refer to: History * a sac in front of body worn into a toga, in the typical style of wearing it Anatomy * Sinus (anatomy), a sac or cavity in any organ or tissue ** Paranasal sinuses, air cavities in the cranial bones, especially those ...

. The leaves and shoots are representative of hybrids between Vitis vinifera and

. It grows to a height of 32 metres and reaches a width of 3 metres and, like the other Vitis species, it climbs by using twining

tendril In botany, a tendril is a specialized Plant stem, stem, leaf or Petiole (botany), petiole with a thread-like shape used by climbing plants for support and attachment, as well as cellular invasion by parasitic plants such as ''Cuscuta''. There ar ...

Inflorescence and fruit

The vine produces numerous

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

s of male flowers with plenteous

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by most types of flowers of seed plants for the purpose of sexual reproduction. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced Gametophyte#Heterospory, microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm ...

and a strong fragrance. The inflorescences would then abscess, but occasionally a few flowers produce functional

ovaries The ovary () is a gonad in the female reproductive system that produces ova; when released, an ovum travels through the fallopian tube/oviduct into the uterus. There is an ovary on the left and the right side of the body. The ovaries are endocr ...

and at times develop some very small blackish fruit if the climate allows it to, though they don't normally last on the plant and they tend to taste bitter, although birds consume them.

Cultivation

In Australia, the vine is grown for its impressive leaves that turn brilliant red, scarlet, purple and as well as orange in autumn. Easily grown from cuttings, it thrives in a range of climates from hot and dry, to cool moist and subtropical, but would colour best in cooler climates under a sunny spot. It is grown widely in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

and has been popular in the state since the early 20th century. It is also present in

Mildura Mildura ( ) is a regional city in north-west Victoria, Australia. Located on the Victorian side of the Murray River, Mildura had a population of 34,565 at the 2021 census. When nearby Wentworth, Irymple, Nichols Point, Merbein and Red ...

and is cultivated elsewhere in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

and

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, where it is usually grown over a

pergola A pergola is most commonly used as an outdoor garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway, or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support crossbeams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are t ...

or fence. It is oftentimes called 'Ornamental Grape', but is sold by nurseries under a number of different names, such as 'Crimson Glory', 'Glory Vine', 'Alicante Bouschet', `Teinturier' or `Teinturier Male'. It can get fungal leaf diseases in humid coastal climates.Ornamental Grape
by

Burke's Backyard ''Burke's Backyard'' was an Australian gardening and lifestyle series presented by horticulturist Don Burke, broadcast on both radio and television. On television, it was a regular weekly series on the Nine Network from 12 September 1987 to 26 ...

Gallery

File:Ornamental grapevine.jpg, Leaves changing colour with season File:Ornamental grapevine2.jpg, Trailing on trellis File:Vitis vinifera ornamental.jpg, Growing on pergola File:Ganzin glory grapevine.jpg, Purplish red fall foliage File:Ornamental grapevine flowers.jpg, Green leaves with emerging inflorescence File:Ornamental grapevine inflorescence.jpg, Close view of the sweet-scented inflorescence

References