(a. 
Vitis aestivalis (cont.) 
5-lobed, lobes mostly acute, approaching around the rounded, rarely or never 
toothed lateral sinus; teeth usually small, little elevated, slightly convex, 
with little or no mucron, notch between, obtuse or scalloned; venation, from the 
7 or 8, generally not quite opposite pairs of ribs, rather prominent; ribs 
generally both pubescent and rusty wooly with pubescent tufts in forks; blade in 
unfolding rusty wooly, upper surface rusty hairy along veins when young, smooth 
and leathery rugose with maturity, of « dark, moderately lively green color; 
lower side between ribs thinly or flocculently red rusty wooly. Ground shoots 
from old plants beautifully 5 to 9 lobed, being palmate, much as in V. Lincecumii. 
Cluster: From 4" to 8" long, cylindrical, generally simple or with a mod- 
erate shoulder and often a false tendril, the peduncle generally long; rachis 
pale cottony; pedicels thick, in long, enlarged toward receptacle, with a few 
small warts. 
Flowers: Stamens in fertile flowers reflexed and bent laterally, stamens 
and pistil more slender than in V. Lincecumii, self-sterile. 
Berries: +" to 4" in diameter, small,spherical or oblate, black, with 
bloom when ripe, persistent; skin thin, tough, with much coloring matter; pulp 
commonly dry, tough, acid, and astringent, occasionally somewhat tender, juicy, 
rich in sugar. 
Seeds: 2 to 4, 1/6" to im jong, by 1/8" to 1/6"broad; ovate, light to 
dark cinnamon color; beak usually short, blunt, poorly defined, rarely sharp and 
distinct,-— when sharp and defined it generally indicates a mixture with some other 
species as in Norton Virginia, which has a seed strongly resembling V. Cinerea,. 
Raphe medium or inconspicuous as it passes top of seed, sometimes disappearing 
at the top but usually at or a little below the middle or inner face of the seed; 
chalaza generally small, circular or ovate at middle or above back of seed, sur- 
rounded by a shallow groove which extends over top of seed, in some cases making 
it appear slightly lobed, indicating admixture with V. labruska; depressions shall6w | 
irregular in depth, usually wide apart; color little different from body of seed. 

Plantlet: Cotyledons small, ovate acute, green. ! 
It is found sparingly in New York as "Winter Grape", more plentifully in 
New Jersey as "Pigeon Grape", in both of which regions it approaches V. bicolor 
closely. It°’occurs in its purest form chiefly south of the Potomac river and 
Cumberland mountains of Tennessee towards the Gulf, east of the Mississippi river. 
From Maryland to western New York there is a gradual transition to V. bicolor, 
and a similar transition takes place between Middle Tennessee and Michigan and 
Wisconsin. It grows naturally on high, sandy loamy, or sandy clay soils. 
V. aestévalis possesses properties that render its better varieties very 
valuable in the regions where fungus diseases prevail, on account of its great 
resistance to such diseases, and its high percent of sugar. 
-- Excerpts from"Foundations of American Grape Culture" by T. V. Munson 1909. 
