Riverbank grape

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Riverbank grape leaves

Riverbank grape

Riverbank grape leaf

Riverbank grape flowers

Riverbank grape fruit

Riverbank grape

Riverbank grape inflorescence

Riverbank grape fruit

Riverbank grape bud

Riverbank grape fruit

Riverbank grape fruit

Riverbank grape flowers

Riverbank grape bud

Riverbank grape

Riverbank grape bark

Riverbank grape bark

Morphology

Stem

Woody vines, trailing or climbing to 45 feet or more by means of tendrils, glabrous or pubescent; stems of mature plants several inches in diameter; young branches green to dull reddish brown.

Leaves

Alternate, simple, thin, heart- to egg-shaped, 3 to 6 inches long, about as wide, some deeply 3-7-lobed, lobes tapering-pointed, mostly glabrous, shiny green above, green with pubescence along veins below; margins coarsely toothed.

Inflorescence

Panicles, compact, pyramidal, 1.5 to 5 inches long, opposite leaves.

Flower

Inconspicuous, greenish, fragrant; calyces short; petals 5, attached together at tips, separate from one another at bases; stamens 5.

Fruit

Berries, spherical, 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter, waxy, purplish black, appearing from July-September; seeds 2-4, about 1/5 inch long, rounded to short beak, reddish brown.

Ecology

Habitat

Low woodlands, thickets, rocky stream banks, fencerows, and open hillsides.

Distribution

Throughout Kansas.

Practical Information

Uses

Native Americans ate the berries fresh and dried them for winter use. Wildlife will consume the fruits.

Additional Notes