126 THE GRAPES OF NEW YORK. 



Vine slender, of only moderate vigor, climbing very high. Shoots smooth, angled, 

 long-jointed, bright red; diaphragms thick to medium; tendrils intermittent, long, 

 usually bifid. Leaves with short, broad stipules; leaf-blade broadly cordate in outline, 

 rarely entire, frequently very deeply three or even five-lobed, lobes long, acuminate; 

 margin with broad, shallow, serrate teeth; petiolar sinus rather broad and shallow; 

 upper surface dull dark green, smooth; lower surface frequenth^ somewhat pubescent 

 on ribs and veins; petioles red. Clusters medium to large, loose, seldom compound; 

 long peduncle. Berries small, black, without bloom, not juicy- Seeds one or two,, 

 large, plump, rounded, with very short beak, slightly notched; chalaza narrow, rather 

 indistinct; raphe indistinct. 



Vitis rubra and Vahl's Vitis palmata are badly confused. The species 

 was first described by Vahl in 1794, from plants cultivated in the Jardin des 

 Plantes in Paris and supposed to have been sent by some missionary' from 

 the Mississippi Valley. It was so named on account of its tendency to 

 five-lobed leaves. Vahl erroneously gives its habitat as Virginia. About 

 the same time, Michaux discovered, on the banks of the Mississippi and 

 adjacent streams, a grape which he called Vitis rubra, on account of 

 its characteristic bright red shoots. The descriptions of these two varie- 

 ties were copied from time to time by other botanists, but with no addi- 

 tional details of any importance until Engelmann, in 1883, made the claim 

 that they were identical. There is no question as to the identitv of 

 Michaux's Rubra, but some botanists question whether Palmata is a 

 synonym. We have taken Michaux's name as the one to which there is 

 no question, although Engelmann was so careful a worker that it is highly 

 probable that he is correct in considering the two species synonymous. 

 Munson considers the species as probably a multiple " hybrid of Cordi- 

 folia with Riparia, with possibly a trace of Cissus blood, indicated in the 

 fruit, seed and leaf." There seems to be but little evidence to support 

 this supposition. Planchon says it is principally on the evidence of Mil- 

 lardet that he admits this as a separate species and that perhaps it would 

 be better to consider it a variety of Riparia closely allied to Vahl's Palmata. 



Vitis rubra is an inhabitant of sandy, rich, moist, alluvial river bottoms 

 in Missouri and Illinois, to Louisiana and Texas, in which region it is quite 

 restricted and apparently not plentiful. 



But little is known of the horticultural characters of Vitis rubra. 

 In spite of its having been classed with Riparia, it appears to resemble 



