fox grape
Vitis labrusca
Vitis labrusca, the fox grape, is a species of grapevines belonging to the Vitis genus in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The vines are native to eastern North America and are the source of many grape cultivars, including Catawba, Concord, Delaware, Isabella, Niagara, and many hybrid grape varieties such as Agawam, Alexander and Onaka. Among the characteristics of this vine species in contrast to the European wine grape Vitis vinifera are its "slip-skin" that allows the skin of the grape berries to easily slip off when squeezed, instead of crushing the pulp, and the presence of tendrils on every node of the cane. Vitis labrusca also tends to have strong resistance to mildews and phylloxera. Another contrast with European V. vinifera are unique flavors, best known to most people through the Concord grape. The term "foxy" became a sort of catchall for the wine tasting descriptors used for these American wines that were distinct from the familiar flavors of the European viniferous wines. These flavors have been described as strawberry, raspberry, cotton candy, and "grapey" (because Americans associate these flavors with popular grape juices, candies, jellies and jams, sodas, and more made with Concord grapes). Occasionally, depending on the winemaking, V. labrusca grapes can impart a musky flavor to wine, which some find intriguing while others dislike, but this can be mitigated or increased by winegrowing and winemaking practices. Vitis labrusca is in the parentage of the world's most planted grape variety, Kyoho.
From the article Vitis labrusca on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
In human culture
According to wine historian Edward Hyams and wine expert Jancis Robinson, Vitis labrusca was probably the species seen by Leif Ericsson growing wild along the coast of Vinland in the 11th century. There is ample evidence that the labrusca was growing wild in North America before Europeans arrived. The vine was not officially identified and recorded until Carl Linnaeus and his peers started cataloging American vine species in the mid-18th century. In the 19th century, Vitis labrusca was among the American vines transported to Europe that were carrying the phylloxera louse that caused widespread devastation to the European vineyards planted with Vitis vinifera. Also in the 19th century, Ephraim Bull of Concord, Massachusetts, cultivated seeds from wild labrusca vines to create the Concord grape, which would become an important agricultural crop in the United States.
Wikipedia: “History”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Vitis labrusca in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 68053.