Vitis aestivalis Michx.

U.S.A.
Vitaceae Vitis aestivalis Michx.
det. M. Nee, 2017
Wisconsin, Richland Co., 3.8 km E of Gotham, Button Bluff,
NE of Button Cemetery along Hwy. JJ.
43°13’08”N, 90°14’33”W. alt. 245 m.
T 9 N; R 2 E; NE14NWV4 Sect. 34.
S-facing Wisconsin River valley bluff, formerly dry prairie,
then pastured, now grown up to woods. Lower slope with
Juniperus virginiana, Morns alba, Celtis occidentalis.
Large vine to top of 15 m. tall trees. Stems looped and over
ground where covered by dirt and hard to distinguish the
individuals. Stem 9 cm. in diameter (some to 12 cm. in
diameter here), the wood only 6.5 cm. in diameter, with clear,
tasteless watery sap when cut, later exuding a clear gelatinous
sap which hardens transparent; very difficult to identify annual
rings, but this stem may be about 50 years old, about the age of
the trees it is growing on; bark ca. 1 cm. thick, loosely stringy
and reddish brown in upper stems, furrowed and brown in
larger stems. Voucher for wood specimens at Kw, Lw,
MADw, MEXUw, RSAw. Beginning of flowering period, the
flowers yellow-green, lightly and sweetly fragrant, but not
with the delightfully tropical perfumy fragrance of Vitis
riparia, which in this area had begun blooming ca. 12 days
ago.
Coll.: M. H. Nee 63643	14 June 2017
Missouri Botanical Garden (MO)
03757961