Labrusca grape

Family Vitaceae. The well-known Amur grape in landscaping can be successfully replaced by the no less decorative and cold-hardy labrusca grape from North America.

The labrusca grape is the progenitor of most American cultivated grape varieties. Due to its undemanding nature, relative cold hardiness (tolerates temperature drops down to -20°C), vigorous growth and attractive foliage it is of interest for vertical greening in the southern regions of Russia.

This is a powerful liana that climbs high on supports and can form dense thickets, and also sprawls over the ground, with a stem that becomes woody and in nature can reach 20 cm in diameter. It blooms in July. Shoots are cylindrical and attach to supports with well-developed tendrils. Young shoots are densely pubescent. Leaves are borne on long petioles, ovate or rounded up to 17 cm, entire or sometimes lobed, with a broad sinus at the base, toothed at the margin, leathery, wrinkled on the upper surface, dull, dark green. Young leaves are white or grayish and flocculently pubescent beneath, which over time becomes reddish-brown. The plant is dioecious. Flowers are unisexual. Pistillate flowers are gathered in dense compact inflorescences up to 5–8 cm long, staminate flowers form looser inflorescences. Fruits are collected in small clusters containing up to 20 berries of black-purple, reddish-brown, pink or yellow-green color. Berries up to 2 cm in diameter, spherical or ellipsoid, covered with a waxy bloom, the flesh is somewhat sweet. They ripen in September.

Grows well on light loose sandy and sandy loam fertile soils with moderate moisture, prefers slightly shaded locations. Needs a support. Winter hardiness is high, suitable for the black-earth zone and regions located further south.

Seeds require stratification at 0 - 3 °C for 4 - 7 months. After stratification it is recommended to soak seeds for 12 hours in solutions of gibberellic acid and a petroleum-based growth substance. In cultivation since 1656.