Leaves: Stipules very small, broad at base, roundish obtuse, membranaceous, ciliate margin, 

 petiole, in length from 1/2 to 2/3 the width of blade, slender, striated with deep narrow groove, 

 pubescent, occasionally has a few cottony hairs; color red, attached to blade at an obtuse angle; 

 blade about 3%' in length by about 2%' in width, very different from V vulpina; in shape long 

 cordate, plane; basal sinus generally n shaped; shoulders, or lobes and summit long, acute, taper- 

 pointed; border either sharply shouldered or often three lobed, sometimes five lobed, with narrow, 

 acute or rounded sinuses, frequently all the different forms occurring on the same plant; teeth 

 large, irregular, very acute, margins straight or slightly convex, with long mucron as in 

 V. cordifolia, and pubescent; venation, from the usually 6 not quite opposite pairs of prominent 

 ribs and their divisions, on upper surface has short stiff pubescence, on the lower surface few 

 scattering pubescent hairs, with white pubescent tufts in forks; upper surface between veins 

 smooth, lively very dark glossy green; lower surface very smooth, much paler green. Leaves 

 on seedlings not lobed until second year. 



Cluster: Fertile, long, four to six inches in full development, broad, conical, compound; 

 similarly with V. cinerea, but more conical; peduncle long, much like V. cordifolia, rachis smooth, 

 yellowish-green, or sometimes scatteringly hairy; pedicels about 1/5' long, the same as in 

 V. cordifolia, slender, warty near the summit; sterile, larger than fertile, and more compound, 

 quite similar to V. cordifolia in this respect. 



Flowers: Fertile, stamens short, recurved, pistil minute, style slender, stigma small, 

 hemispherical. Staminate, stamens long, slender, erect, with small anthers, similar to 

 V. cordifolia. 



Berries: Very small, 1/5' to 1/3', spherical, bluish-black, with little or no bloom, resembling 

 V. cordifolia, but of a more intense blue-black; persistent ; skin thick, and rigid in breaking same 

 as in V. cordifolia and not so delicate and pliable as in V. vulpina and V. rupestris; possessed of 

 much coloring matter; pulp juicy, with very similar flavor though much less pronounced, than 

 that of V. cordifolia, but without its pungency; pure, vinous, sweet, with the viscous character of the 

 juice next skin as in V. cordifolia. 



Seeds: Usually 1 or 2, large, largest of any species in proportion to size of berry, nearly 

 filling berry, short, thick, 1/5' to 1/4' long by 1/6' to 1/5' broad; when one, globose, when two, 

 hemispherical; color of dark cinnamon bark, or chestnut, beak short, thick, poorly denned, 

 slightly bilobed, color grayish-yellow to dark orange, or chocolate when dead ripe; raphe thread- 

 like from beak to top of seed, there becoming obscure or invisible in a rather deep groove to the 

 chalaza, which is usually depressed or nearly obsolete though sometimes is medium prominent, 

 sub-triangular, resembling in this some rare forms of V. cordifolia found by myself, color same 

 as beak, lying in an elliptical cavity; depressions short, deep, wide apart, separated by a large ridge, 

 color grayish-yellow or pale orange, to chocolate when dead ripe. 



Plantlet: Cotyledons medium to large ovate with taper-point, green; petioles 1/4 inch, 

 plumu'e and caulicle light crimson. 



Viticultural Observations and Remarks 



Germination very slow, even slower than V. Lincecumii and V . bicolor; foliation very late ; 

 inflorescence latest of any native species, even after V. cinerea and V. rotundifolia; ripening of 

 fruit very late, with V. cordifol a and V. cinerea, but not quite so late as the V. cinerea, 

 var. Floridana. 



Growth first year, slender, feeble ; is hardy to endure cold and drouth when well established ; 

 resistant to Phylloxera (Millardet), free from disease. The beauty of the vine should render it a 

 favorite trellis or arbor vine. 



No natural hybrids with other species are known to the writer, but he has produced several 

 hybrids of it with Herbemont, etc. 



80 



