Seasonal Wild Flowers

Latin name

Vitis vinifera

Family

Vitaceae

Flowering season

June to July

English distribution

The escape is found throughout the country, but is most

common in southern areas.

See the BSBI distribution map for Grape-vine

Habitat

It is a neophyte which has been cultivated for wine

production in the UK on and off since Roman times.

It has escaped into the wild and was recorded as

naturalised in the early 1900s.

It grows in hedges, in scrubland, on tips and by rivers.

It can grow from seed and discarded vines.

Description

Grape-vine is a naturalised, perennial, scrambling, woody

climber growing up to 10m.

The flowers are in dense clusters.

Each flower is small - up to 5mm, and has 5 green petals.

The petals are joined at the top and form a cap over the

stamens and ovary.

The cap splits from the bottom and falls off.

There are 5 stamens with cream to beige-coloured

anthers.

The ovary is globular with a short style and a capitate

stigma.

The fruit is a berry with 4 seeds.

The berries form either green or black grapes.

The leaves are palmate or palmately lobed.

The tendrils do not have terminal discs, but twine round

structures to support the vines.

The stems are grey, ridged and woody and are thick in

older plants.

Grapes left on vines break open, often after attack by

wasps and earwigs, and the juices become available

to flies and butterflies.