Vitis rotundifolia

Vitis rotundifolia
Photo by Kevin Robertson
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class:	Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Order:	Rhamnales
Family:	Vitaceae
Genus:	Vitis
Species:	V. rotundifolia
Binomial name
Vitis rotundifolia Michx.
Natural range of Vitis rotundifolia from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common name: Muscadine

Description

"High-climbing or trailing vines; pith brown, continuous or discontinuous through the nodes. Leaves simple, acute or acuminate, serrate, base cordate, petiolate. Inflorescences paniculate. Calyx flat, round, usually without lobes; petals 5, 0.5-2.5 mm long, cohering at the summit, separating at the base, falling at anthesis; disk of 5 connate or separate glands, 0.2-0.4 mm long; stigmas small, style conical, 0.2-0.5 mm long. Berry dark purple, globose; seeds 1-4 usually red or brown, pyriform, 4-7 mm long."

"High-climbing vine with adhering bark, conspicuous tendrils, and pith continuous through node; young branches angled, puberulent. Leaves suborbicular or widely ovate, to 8 cm long or wide, glabrate or glabrous. Mature inflorescences to 5 cm long, few-fruited; berries 1-2 cm in diam.; seeds ca. 6 mm long."

Ecology

Seed dispersal

According to Kay Kirkman, a plant ecologist, this species disperses by being consumed by vertebrates (being assumed).

Pollination

The following Hymenoptera families and species were observed visiting flowers of Vitis rotundifolia at Archbold Biological Station (Deyrup 2015):

Apidae: Apis mellifera, Bombus impatiens

Halictidae: Agapostemon splendens, Augochloropsis anonyma, A. sumptuosa, Lasioglossum placidensis

Megachilidae: Megachile brevis pseudobrevis, M. mendica, M. petulans

References and notes

Deyrup, M.A. and N.D. 2015. Database of observations of Hymenoptera visitations to flowers of plants on Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA.