Grapes

Grapes are perennial, woody vines. They often form thickets along rivers and other naturally open habitats, and often drape trees in open forests or at forest edges.

Grape leaves are entire, and they often have three distinct lobes. The leaves are alternately arranged along the stem. Opposite most leaves are structures known as tendrils which grow in a spiral fashion and are important in anchoring the vine to its supporting structure.

Grapes have small, inconspicuous flowers arranged in clusters. The flowers have associated nectaries which are important in attracting the insects that are the pollinators of grapes. The fruit of grapes is an edible, twoseeded berry, usually purple in color. Grapes are avidly Fredonia grapes. Photograph by James Sikkema. Reproduced by permission.
eaten by birds and mammals. The grape seed passes intact through the gut of these animals and is deposited into the ground with feces. The edible fruit of grapes is an adaptation for dispersal by animal vectors.

Cultivated varieties, or cultivars, of grapes are usually propagated by grafting shoots of the desired type onto the root of a relatively hardy plant. In this way, the desirable traits of the cultivar will be displayed by the grafted shoot, while the grape grower can also take advantage of the adaptation of the rootstock to the local environment.