Do Wild Grape Vines Shed Their Bark?

Muscadine

• Vitis rotundifolia, southern fox grape or Muscadine, is different than many other wild varieties. Unlike the majority of grape and wild grape species, it has smooth, tight bark that does not shed. It can grow in Texas and Florida as well as up to Delaware and westward to Mississippi. The berries are tasty and well-liked by deer, bear, raccoons and other wildlife. The vine grows wildly as long as 60 to 100 feet. Berries grow singly or in clusters numbered as many as 12. This species is set apart from its cousins in a few other ways -- it does not have branched tendrils, and it does not exhibit warty shoots.

Desert Wild Grape

• Vitis girdian, desert wild grape, is a wild variety that in fact does shed its bark. As it ages, the bark becomes hairy, with older stems peeling their bark. When new growth arises, it has a woolly appearance and sheds as growth continues. The berries are blackish-purple in appearance. This variety uses its tendrils to climb extensively. Vitis californica is a closely-related species from northern California that has even more extensive woolly growth.

River Bank Grape

• Vitis ripari, river bank grapes, are sometimes referred to as frost grapes. They indeed have the peeling bark that is characteristic of most grapes. The bark is brownish-gray in color and supports branches with blue to black-colored grapes. River bank grapes sends tendrils out and grows in a vining fashion, often wrapping around nearby plants or objects on its way upwards. The sharp-edged, lobed leaves can vary significantly in appearance from one to the next.

Summer Grape

• The reddish bark of the Vitis aestivalis, summer grape, peels in large splits. This variety is a proficient climber, sending its curly tendrils for upward climbing and reaching as high as 70 feet. The species has enough vining power to overtake a tree canopy. The clustered fruits are dark blue or purple at maturity, which occurs in early fall. Leaves are lobed and have hairs on their underside.