116 THE EVOLUTION OF OUR NATIVE FRUITS 



large (%-inch or less in diameter) purple or light-colored 

 or even whitish berries, which have a thick skin and a very 

 disagreeable, fiery flavor; seeds large, pyriform. E. Texas, 

 mostly on limestone soils. Not promising to the experi- 

 menter. 



Far. coriacea, Bailey. (Leather-leaf or Calloosa Grape.) Dif- 

 fers from the species chiefly in bearing much smaller (about 

 %-inch in diameter), thinner- skinned, and more edible 

 grapes, with mostly smaller seeds, and perhaps a less ten- 

 dency to very deep lobing in the leaves on young shoots, 

 and possibly rather more marked rustiness on the young 

 growths. Florida, chiefly southward, in which range various 

 Texan plants reappear. The more agreeable quality of the 

 fruit is probably the result of a more equable and moister 

 climate. More promising than the species. 



Fitis Simpsoni, Munson. Distinguished by mostly much-cut 

 leaves on the young shoots, and comparatively thin, large, 

 and large-toothed ones on the main shoots, rusty white 

 tomentum below and very prominently brown-tomentose 

 young growths, the character of the leaves and tomentum 

 varying widely, the foliage sometimes becoming almost blue- 

 green below. Central Florida: Lake county; Manatee Eiver, 

 etc. This is likely a hybrid of V. cestivalis and V. candicans, 

 var. coriacea. Some forms of it are very like V. Labrusca, 

 and might be mistaken for that species. 



cc. Tendrils mostly continuous (a tendril or inflorescence op- 

 posite every node). 



Vitis Labrusca, L. (Fox Grape, Skunk Grape.) Fig. 11, page 58. 

 A strong vine, climbing high on thickets and trees; young 

 shoots tawny with much scurfy down : leaves large and thick, 

 strongly veined (especially beneath), broadly cordate -ovate, 

 mostly obscurely 3-lobed towards the top (on strong growths 

 the sinuses sometimes extending a third or even half the 

 depth of the blade, and rounded and edentate at the bottom) 

 or sometimes nearly continuous in outline and almost del- 

 toid-ovate, the petiolar sinus mostly shallow and very open 

 (ranging to narrow and half or more the length of the 

 petiole), the margins shallowly scallop -toothed with mucro- 

 pointed teeth (or sometimes almost entire), and the apex 



