Vitis rotundifolia

Vitis rotundifolia, ormuscadine,is agrapevinespecies native to thesoutheasternandsouth-central United States.The growth range extends fromFloridatoNew Jersey coast, and west to easternTexasandOklahoma.It has been extensively cultivated since the 16th century.The plants are well-adapted to their native warm and humid climate; they need fewerchilling hoursthan better known varieties, and thrive in summer heat.
Muscadine berries may be bronze or dark purple or black whenripe.Wild varieties may stay green through maturity. Muscadines are typically used in makingartisanwines, juice,hull pieand jelly. They are rich sources ofpolyphenols.
In a natural setting, muscadine provideswildlife habitatas shelter, browse, and food for many birds and animals.It is also alarvalhost for the Nessus Sphinx Moth (Amphion floridensis) and the Mournful Sphinx Moth (Enyo lugubris).
Although in the same genusVitiswith the other grapevine species, the muscadine species belongs to a separate subgenus,Muscadinia(all other grapevine species belong to subgenusEuvitis).
Usually the species is divided into three varieties,Vitis rotundifoliaMichx. var.rotundifolia(southeast USA),Vitis rotundifoliaMichx. var.munsoniana(Florida), andVitis rotundifoliaMichx. var.popenoei(Central America).Some taxonomists have suggested giving the muscadines standing as a separate genus. It has also been suggested that the muscadine varieties be upgraded to species rank and so splitting offVitis munsonianaandVitis popenoeifromVitis rotundifolia. All muscadines have 40 chromosomes, rather than 38.They are generally not cross-compatible withEuvitissubgenus, and most hybrids between the subgenera. A few are moderately fertile, and have been used in breeding. A commercially availableEuvitis×Muscadiniahybrid is theSouthern Homecultivar.
Muscadines are hearty grapes with thick and tough skin that protects them from manyplant diseases.These grapes nonetheless appear to be susceptible toparasiticnematodes.Some other pests that can be found on the Muscadines are grapevine aphids and grape root borers. However, according to Oscar Liburd, a professor at the University of Florida, pests attacks on the muscadines are not significant.
There are about 152muscadinecultivarsgrown in the Southern states.These include bronze, black and red varieties and consist of common grapes and patented grapes.
Unlike most cultivated grapevines, many muscadine cultivars arepistillate, requiring apollenizerto set fruit. A few, such as 'Carlos' and 'Noble', areperfect-flowered, produce fruit with their own pollen, and may also pollinate pistillate cultivars.
Muscadine grape cultivars may have low or inconsistent yields, small berries, flavor and thick skin unsuitable to consumer acceptance, and disease susceptibility.Cultivars tend to be developed either for a limited fresh market or for winemaking.For consumer acceptance, fresh market grapes need to be large, sweet, and with relatively thin skin, whereas those for wine,  juice or jelly need high yields of high-sugar, color-stable berries.
Fresh-market cultivars include Black Beauty, Carlos, Cowart, Flowers, Fry, Granny Val, Ison, James, Jumbo, Magnolia, Memory (first found on T.S. Memory's farm in 1868 in Whiteville, NC), Mish, Nesbitt, Noble,Scuppernong, Summit, Supreme, and Thomas.Produced by the University of Florida, the cultivar, 'Southern Home', contains both subgeneraMuscadiniaandEuvitis(more precisely,V. rotundifolia×V. vinifera) in its background.
Crops can be started in 3–5 years.  Commercial yields of 20–45tonnesperhectare(8–18 tons per acre) are possible. Muscadines grow best in fertile sandy loam and alluvial soils. They grow wild in well-drained bottom lands that are not subject to extended drought or waterlogging. They are also resistant to pests and diseases, includingPierce's disease, which can destroy other grape species. Muscadine is one of the grape species most resistant toPhylloxera, an insect that can kill roots of grapevines.
Appellationsproducing Muscadine wines:
100 grams of muscadine grapes contain the following nutrients according to the USDA:
Consumer researchindicates that the thick skins and variable in-season quality of fresh muscadine grapes are significant deterrents to retail acceptance.
One report indicated that muscadine grapes contained high concentrations ofresveratrol,but subsequent studies have found no or little resveratrol in muscadine grapes.
Other muscadinepolyphenolsincludeanthocyanins,tannins, and variousflavonoids.
The rank order of total phenolic content among muscadine components was found to be seeds, higher than skins, higher than leaves, higher than pulp.