Vitis
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Authority
Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro & collaborators. 1996. Flora of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 78: 1-581.
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Family
Vitaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Genus Description - Woody vines with leaf-opposed tendrils. Leaves simple, often palmately lobed, toothed; stipules deciduous. Flowers 5-merous, bisexual or unisexual, actinomorphic, produced in umbelliform clusters in paniculate inflorescences opposite to a leaf; calyx short, 5- lobed; corolla of distinct petals apically coherent and deciduous as a unit at anthesis; stamens alternating with the petals; nectary 5- lobed; ovary 2-locular, the style short, conical. Berry globose or ellipsoid, juicy, green, blue, or purple at maturity.
Distribution and Ecology - A genus of about 60 species, mostly temperate in distribution, with 1 species (the European wine grape) widely cultivated for its edible fruits.