Vitis cinerea (Engelm.) Engelm. ex Millardet var. baileyana (Munson) Comeaux

Locations ofVitis cinerea (Engelm.) Engelm. ex Millardet var. baileyana (Munson) Comeaux in Virginia

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Detail

Family
Vitaceae
Botanical Name
Vitis cinerea (Engelm.) Engelm. ex Millardet var. baileyana (Munson) Comeaux
Common Name
Possum Grape
Synonym(s)
Vitis baileyana Munson
Flora of Virginia Name/Status
Vitis cinerea (Engelm. in A. Gray) Engelm. ex Millard. var. baileyana (Munson) Comeaux
Comments
Two varieties occur in Virginia: var. baileyana (Munson) Comeaux and var. floridana Munson. Flora of the Southeastern U.S. treats these taxa as separate species (see Synonymy). However, we have retained the traditional varietal treatment because the two are similar, diagnostic characters are gradational, and individual plants are sometimes difficult to distinguish in our area. Most herbarium specimens have now been assigned to variety, although some appear to be more or less intermediate. Still, grapes have been generally under-collected by Virginia botanists and additional collecting is needed to fully flesh out the distribution.

Virginia collections seem consistent with Moore’s (1991, Sida 14) description of var. baileyana as primarily a taxon of the Piedmont and mountains, and var. floridana as primarily of the Coastal Plain; but there is a fairly wide area of sympatric distribution in the eastern Piedmont and extreme inner Coastal Plain. See map for V. cinerea var. floridana
Habitat
Floodplain forests, mesic to dry-mesic upland forests, fencerows, and old fields. Frequent to common in the Piedmont and mountains (at low elevations), at least in the southern half of the state; apparently rare in the Coastal Plain and in northern Virginia. Although geography and habitats overlap in the eastern Piedmont, var. baileyana is more of an upland species than var. floridana.
Native Status
Native

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