Muscadine Grape, Muscadine, Southern Fox Grape, Scuppernong, Muscadine Grape
Vitis rotundifolia

Family: Vitaceae

What it is like

Bloom Color: Yellow. Main Bloom Time: Late spring, Mid spring. Form: Irregular or sprawling, Spreading or horizontal, Variable height, Variable spread.

Vitis rotundifolia is a deciduous Climber growing to 25 m (82ft 0in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5. It is in flower from June to July, and the seeds ripen from September to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

Height (m): 25

Where it is found

Woods, thickets, sandhills and shores.

South-eastern N. America - Delaware to Indiana and Kansas, south to Florida, Texas and Mexico.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Fruit - raw or dried for winter use. Thick-skinned with a pleasant musky flavour. Pleasant to eat raw, the fruit is excellent in jellies, pies etc. The fruit is up to 25mm in diameter and is produced in small bunches. Leaves - cooked. Young leaves are wrapped around other foods and then baked, they impart a pleasant flavour. Young tendrils - raw or cooked.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 1

A yellow dye is obtained from the fresh or dried leaves.

Dye: Plants that provide dyes.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

Landscape Uses:Arbor. Prefers a deep rich moist well-drained moderately fertile loam. Grows best in a calcareous soil. Succeeds in sun or partial shade though a warm sunny position is required for the fruit to ripen. Prefers a position in full sun Plants climb by means of tendrils. They grow particularly well up elm trees. Cultivated for its edible fruit in N. America, there are some named varieties. Most plants are self-fertile, but there are some cultivars that only produce female flowers and require pollination. Any pruning should be carried out in winter when the plants are dormant otherwise they bleed profusely. Resistant to Phylloxera disease, a disease that almost destroyed the European grape crops. This species can be used as a rootstock in areas where the disease is prevalent and can also be used in breeding programmes with V. vinifera in order to impart resistance to that species. Plants are, however, susceptible to infestation by aphis. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus. Special Features: North American native, Inconspicuous flowers or blooms. For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. Woody. Growth habit is a single or multiple shooting vine from a crown.

Propagating it: Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. Six weeks cold stratification improves the germination rate, and so stored seed is best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is obtained. Germination should take place in the first spring, but sometimes takes another 12 months. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter. Plant out in early summer. Cuttings of mature wood of the current seasons growth, December/January in a frame. These cuttings can be of wood 15 - 30cm long or they can be of short sections of the stem about 5cm long with just one bud at the top of the section. In this case a thin, narrow strip of the bark about 3cm long is removed from the bottom half of the side of the stem. This will encourage callusing and the formation of roots. Due to the size of these cuttings they need to be kept in a more protected environment than the longer cuttings. Layering.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade;

Habit: Climber

Hardiness: 5-9

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

V. vulpina. non L.