Vitis aestivalis Michx.
Summer grape, grape
Summer grapes are robust eastern North American native plants.
Plants: Summer grapes are vines that clamber over other plants, attaching themselves with tendrils that wind themselves into coiled springs. Vines become woody, and can reach 70′ (21 m) in length and 5″ (12 cm) in diameter.
Leaves: Alternate, and 3–8″ (7.6–20 cm) in size, and highly variable in shape. They are roughly oval, often with three to five lobes. Leaf undersides are glaucous. The inner vertices of deeply lobed leaves are rounded rather than sharp. Leaf stems (called petioles) are 3-5” long.
Flowers: Dense greenish panicles that look a little like fuzzy versions of the grapes to come, appearing in April to June.
Fruits: Dark blue to black, somewhat glaucous, ¼–¾″ (8–20 mm) wide, in large clusters.
Habitats: Forests, shrublands or thickets, talus and rocky slopes, woodlands.
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Some Vitis species. |
Edibility: Edible, but not especially tasty: they vary from sweet to tart, and contain up to four small, hard seeds. They are sometimes used for jams or pies. Their flavor is said to improve after a frost. These grapes can be used to make wine, but are not widely favored for that purpose.
Medical:
Online References:
Carolina Nature (Vitus aestivalis var. bicolor)
6/1/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 20 cm) 
ID is uncertain 
6/1/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 14 × 9″ (35 × 23 cm) ID is uncertain 
8/7/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (52 × 34 cm) ID is uncertain 
8/19/2018 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 6″ (13 × 16 cm) 
6/18/2015 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 15 × 10″ (37 × 25 cm) 
2/7/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) 
9/13/2015 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (12 × 18 cm) 
6/3/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, East Pe 
6/8/2010 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 17 × 12″ (44 × 29 cm) 
6/30/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 17 × 12″ (44 × 29 cm) ID is uncertain 
4/11/2015 · Big Cypress Bend, Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, Florida · ≈ 7 × 6″ (18 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain 
4/11/2015 · Big Cypress Bend, Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, Florida · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 16 cm) ID is uncertain 
10/23/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (27 × 18 cm) ID is uncertain 
7/11/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (47 × 31 cm) 
4/29/2015 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 3½ × 5″ (8.7 × 13 cm) 
8/12/2017 · Bates Land and Blackman Land, Groton Conservation Trust, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 3½ × 4½″ (9.7 × 12 cm) 
10/23/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 4 × 5″ (10 × 12 cm) ID is uncertain 
5/27/2010 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (52 × 34 cm) 
6/18/2015 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (14 × 10 cm) 
8/7/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (52 × 34 cm) ID is uncertain 
6/21/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts ID is uncertain 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Rosidae | Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more |
| Order | Rhamnales | Buckthorns, oleasters, grapes, others |
| Family | Vitaceae | Grape family |
| Genus | Vitis | Latin for “the vine” |
| Species | aestivalis | Latin for "of summer" (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
Vitis aestivalis description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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