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Vitis cinerea

One of the approximately 30 American species or wild vines with the full botanical name Vitis cinerea Engelm. ex Millardet. There is a similarity with the species Vitis aestivalis and in the 19th century the two were still equated or cinerea was regarded as an aestivalis variety. It was not until the German botanist Georg Engelmann (1809-1884) classified Vitis cinerea as an independent species in 1880. Therefore, both Georg Engelmann and the French phylloxera pioneer Alexis Millardet (1838-1902) are cited in the botanical name. Today the species is divided into the following varieties:

  • Vitis cinerea var. baileyana
  • Vitis cinerea var. canescens (is disputed as a variety)
  • Vitis cinerea var. cinerea
  • Vitis cinerea var. floridana
  • Vitis cinerea var.helleri (formerly listed as separate species Vitis berlandieri )
  • Vitis cinerea var. tomentosa

Trivial synonyms are Ashy Grape, Ashy-leaved Grape, Downy Grape, Graybark Grape Sweet Winter Grape, Parra Silvestre, Vigne à Feuille de Clématite, Winter Grape and Wichita. The colour-related names refer to the typical pale grey colour of the young leaves and shoots, a German name is therefore Graurinden-Rebe. The vine is found in the southeastern USA and grows wild in floodplain forests, on riverbanks and on fences. It is the only one of the American species that is completely resistant to phylloxera, as neither nodosities nor tuberosities are formed. This was recognised by the German oenologist Carl Börner (1880-1953) as early as 1935. He discovered the wild vine "Vitis cinerea Arnold" and crossed it with Vitis riparia. From seedlings, Helmut Becker (1927-1990) selected the first completely phylloxera-resistant rootstock "Börner". The species also has excellent resistance to nematodes.

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