Leaves: Stipules minute, long-cordate, brown woolly, young, densely pubescent, pink or 

 crimson, soon curving back from bud; petiole considerably more than half as long as width of 

 blade; cylindrical with obscure groove above dull red, rusty woolly-pubescent all over, same as 

 young wood; blade 2J^' to 6' wide by 2^' long, hence circular in general outline; basal sinus 

 acute at insertion of petiole, but quickly expanding to a broad bay, which generally is nearly 

 or quite enclosed by the approach of basal limbs; lohes 5, 7, or 9, very broad in otiter part, then 

 narrowing greatly, leaving large, nearly circular sinuses. The pure species always has leaves thus 

 lohed. Where it comes in contact with other species blooming at or nearly at same period, mixed 

 forms are often found. Palmata, as a descriptive name would apply well to the leaves of the 

 species. The lobes are always short and obtuse, except the mid-lobe is sometimes acute; teeth 

 very short, scalloped or convex with a small mucron ; venation, from the 5 to 7 nearly opposite 

 pairs of ribs, obscured by a pale rusty or ash-colored, thin or dense felt all over lower side; ribs thinly 

 woolly, and generally dull red ; upper surface at first covered with thin, pale rusty hairs, soon 

 becoming a rather lively light-green, much lighter than V. cestivalis, and quite wrinkled, giving 

 a good hold for the Leaf-Folder (Desmia funeralis) . 



Cluster: 3' to 5' long, mostly simple, or moderately compound, open or compact, sometimes 

 with a false tendril; peduncle medium to long, of nearly same diameter throughout, rather larger 

 below tendril; rachis pale cottony or naked ; pedicels short 1/6' or 1/8' thick, very warty in clusters 

 of mature fruit. 



Flowers: Stamens, pistil and style shorter than in V. cestivalis; fertile, stamens reflexed and 

 bent laterally; berries 1/4' to 1/2' in diameter, spherical, black with considerable of prunose 

 bloom when ripe, persistent; skin rather thick and tough, with much coloring matter; pulp 

 generally juicy, less tough, acid and astringent than V. cestivalis, having also less sugar. 



Seeds : Commonly 3 about the same average length as in V. cestivalis, but averaging broader, 

 and much darker in color, — a dark chocolate; beak short, small, well defined, dark brown; 

 raphe becomes visible at base of beak and is slender and moderately prominent as it passes over 

 top of seed, expanding gradually into the fairly conspicuous chalaza of medium size, lying in a 

 very shallow basin in center of back of seed, with little or no groove toward the beak; ventral 

 depressions very shallow, short, and curving away from raphe, of paler color than body of seed. 



Plantlet: Seed-leaves small, broadly ovate, acute apex, green, with medium long petioles. 



Viticultural Observations and Remarks 



Germination quicker than V. cestivalis, feeble to strong; foliation, inflorescence, and ripen- 

 ing of fruit later than in V. cestivalis. Plant remains very spindling till three years old from 

 seed, then becomes very rampant. Endures drouth and heat very well but very sensitive to 

 cold, about half-hardy at Denison, Texas. Resists mildew and rot very well. Cuttings grow 

 with more difficulty even than those of V. cestivalis. 



It has been found hybridized naturally with V. cordifolia, \' cestivalis, V. coriacea, V. cinerea, 

 var. Floridana. 



It is confined almost entirely in Florida, and with V. coriacea and V . Munsoniana, is 

 abundant all over the southern half of that State. 



One vine growing at Ashtabula, Florida, appears to be a hybrid of this species with V. coriacea. 

 It was brought to my attention by G. H. Norton, of Eustis^, Florida. Young vines of it with me 

 have borne abundantly a very good grape, little inferior in appearance or quality to Norton 

 Virginia, and might furnish the basis for a noble strain of extreme southern grapes. Another 

 from J. H. Simpson, of Manatee, Fla., found wild by him, appears to be of same hybrid character, 

 with later and larger, good fruit. It is a valuable species for experimentation in the extreme 

 South. 



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