BLACK OR DARK PURPLE 209 



when ripe. They are sweet, with a somewhat 

 " musky " taste and odor. September. 



Leaves. — The leaves are likewise variable ; 

 sometimes nearly entire in outline and broadly 

 heart-shaped, sometimes three-lobed near the top, 

 and sometimes five-lobed. The margins have 

 sharply tipped teeth. The leaves are thick and 

 large, with a green, nearly smooth upper surface 

 and an under surface thickly covered with whit- 

 ish or brownish wool. 



Flowers. — The inconspicuous flowers are some- 

 times perfect, sometimes staminate or pistillate. 

 The fertile racemes are compact. 



This luxuriant vine climbs by means of its 

 tendrils, which are modified flower peduncles, 

 over rocks and walls, and from tree top to tree 

 top in the forest. It is our most common grape 

 and the one from which many cultivated forms, 

 such as the Catawba, Concord, and Worden have 

 sprung. Its berries are considered the best for 

 jellies and are also valuable for grape juice. 

 This delicious beverage is justly growing in 

 favor. It is rich in nutriment, containing as 

 much nitrogenous matter as milk. 



The scurfy covering of the branches, stalks, 

 and tendrils, together with the presence of ten- 



