Vitis rotundifolia Michx.

MUSCADINE

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This species is closely related to the Neotropical species V. popenoei. Together these species constitute subg. Muscadinia and appear to be sister to the other ca. 70 species in subg. Vitis (Liu et al. 2016). A form with small leaf blades 2-3.5 cm wide can be recognized as V. rotundifolia var. pygmaea and occurs in the scrub of Highlands and Polk Cos. (Ward 2006). The taxonomy of Rogers & Mortensen (1979) recognized V. munsoniana, generally of the peninsula, by its infructescence usually of 12-30 berries, the <1 cm wide fragile berries dark purple-black and lacking lenticels, and the seeds <7 mm long. Their V. rotundifolia, generally of the panhandle, had an infructescence usually of 2-8 berries, the usually >1.5 cm wide tough berries bronze-purple and often lenticellate, and the seeds >7 mm long (Rogers & Mortensen 1979).

Native FAC (NWPL) AD (WAP)