Low riskEdible when ripe
Wild grape
Vitis riparia / V. aestivalis
True grapes: peeling bark, forked tendrils, several pear-shaped seeds.
- Marks
- Tendrils; shreddy bark; several seeds per fruit
- Size
- High climbing vine
- Habitat
- Floodplain woods, fencerows, old homesteads.
- Season
- Ripe September–October.
- Frequency
- abundant
High-climbing vines with shreddy bark on old wood, palmately lobed leaves, and tight fruit clusters. Taste ranges from tart to sweet after frost.
Uses
Jelly, juice, raisins. Leaves for wrapping food. Vines for rustic cordage.
Lookalikes
Canada moonseed
Menispermum canadense
Grape lookalike with no tendrils and a crescent seed. Fruit is poisonous.
ToxicDo not eat