Vitis mustangensis

Vitis mustangensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Plantae
Clade:Angiosperms
Clade:Eudicots
Clade:Rosids
Order:Vitales
Family:Vitaceae
Genus:Vitis
Species: V. mustangensis
Binomial name
Vitis mustangensis
Synonyms[1]

Vitis candicans Engelm. ex Durand

Vitis mustangensis, commonly known as the mustang grape, is a species of grape that is native to the southern United States. Its range includes parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma.[1][2]

Description

This woody species produces small clusters of hard green fruit that ripen into soft 3⁄4-inch (2 cm) dark purple berries in August–September.

They have a thick outer layer of flesh and on average contain four seeds. This variety of grape is recognized by the white velvet-like underside of the leaves, and often covers small trees, shrubs, fences and other objects that it grows near.[3]

Culinary use

The fruit can be potentially irritating to the skin when picked or eaten, and are mildly unpleasant to eat because of bitterness and high acidity content.

The grape has a culinary use as jelly and grape juice, both of which are typically sweetened with sugar so as to be palatable. The fruit and leaves of Mustang Grapes may also be used to dye wool.[4]

Mustang grapes have also been used to make mustang wine since before the Civil War.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 "Vitis mustangensis". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 2010-12-07.
  2. ↑ Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  3. ↑ Lynch, Daniel. Native and Naturalized Woody Plants of Austin and the Hill Country. Saint Edward's University, 1981, p. 95.
  4. ↑ Tull, Delena. Edible and Useful Plants of Texas and the Southwest: A Practical Guide. University of Texas Press, 1987, p. 206-208.
  5. ↑ C. Allan Jones, Texas Roots: Agriculture and Rural Life Before the Civil War, College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press, 2005, pp. 148-149


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