''Vitis californica'', with

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contra ...

s California wild grape, Northern California grape, and Pacific grape, is a wild

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry (botany), berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non-Climacteric (botany), climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of ...

species widespread across much of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

as well as southwestern

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...

.Jepson Flora
''Vitis californica''
/ref>Calflora taxon report, ''Vitis californica'' Benth. California grape, California wild grape
/ref> The California wild grape grows in canyons, alongside springs, streams. It tends to thrive in damp conditions and so it is common in riparian areas. It can be found on slopes as well as flat ground in wetland and forested habitats. Once matured like most other native California plants it can withstand periods of dry conditions.

Description

''Vitis californica'' is a

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, a ...

vine A vine ( Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") 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 thems ...

distributed along the Coast Ranges from Douglas County, Oregon, south to San Luis Obispo County, California; in the Klamath Mountains, the Cascade Range, and the Sierra Nevada from Siskiyou to Kern counties, California; and in the Central Valley. It is fast growing and it can grow to over 10 m (33 ft) in length. It climbs on other plants or covers the ground with twisted, woody ropes of vine covered in green leaves. In the fall the leaves turn many shades of orange and yellow before losing its leaves then in the spring it flowers typically in May and June. Bunches of small and often sour but edible purple grapes hang from the vines in autumn, which can be made into wine or jelly. The grapes provide an important food source for a variety of wild animals, especially birds, and the foliage provides thick cover. The grapes are a common sight along the banks of the Sacramento River.

Cultivation

;Viticulture The wild grape is strong and robust, and viticulturists worldwide often use it as

rootstock A rootstock is part of a plant, often an underground part, from which new above-ground growth can be produced. It could also be described as a stem with a well developed root system, to which a bud from another plant is grafted. It can refer to a ...

for their wine grapes. It prefers heavier soils. In some areas where the plant is not native it has the capacity to become a

noxious weed A noxious weed, harmful weed or injurious weed is a weed that has been designated by an agricultural or other governing authority as a plant that is injurious to agricultural or horticultural crops, natural habitats or ecosystems, or humans or liv ...

. Though its invasive nature can be kept under control and is very easy to pull out.

Horticulture

''Vitis californica'' is cultivated as an

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 that ...

. The interesting shape and color of the leaves and the lush, trainable vines make this species an attractive garden plant. This vine is commonly used in

native plant In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often popularised as "with no human intervention") during history. The term is equ ...

gardens, where once established it thrives without summer water. Vitis californica Roger’s Red ripe grapes

The cultivar 'Roger's Red' (named for noted horticulturist Roger Raiche) turns brilliant red in fall and is a hybrid with a wine grape, ''

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 ...

'' Alicante Bouschet. The cultivar 'Walker Ridge' turns yellow in the autumn.

References

External links

UWash Science: Vitis californica propagation protocol

Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Vitis californica''

USDA Plants Profile: ''Vitis californica'' (California wild grape)

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USDA Plant Guide: California Wild Grape

University of San Diego Plant Details: California Wild Grape (Vitis californica)

Calscape: Vitis californica(California Grape)

Nation Library of Medicine: Hybridization of cultivated Vitis vinifera with wild V. californica and V. girdiana in California

Pacific Horticulture: Vitis Rogers Red
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2275493 californica Flora of California Flora of Oregon Flora of the Klamath Mountains Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Fruits originating in North America Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the Central Valley (California) Natural history of the San Francisco Bay Area Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Plants used in Native American cuisine Plants described in 1844 Bird food plants Garden plants of North America Drought-tolerant plants Vines Flora without expected TNC conservation status