NATIVE RANGE: North America

FIRST FINDING IN SLOVENIA: not yet found in Slovenia

PATHWAYS: horticulture; root stock for commercial grape varieties

POSSIBLE TO FIND: year-round

FLOWERING SEASON: May-June

DESCRIPTION: Perennial woody vine with thick stems and red tendrils that are lacking at every 3rd node. The bark is reddish-brown, shedding itself in lengthwise strips. Leaves are similar to those of a lime-tree in shape, alternate and simple, sometimes shallowly three-lobed. Margins are sharply and coarsely dentate. Leaves are mostly glabrous, with only some short hairs along veins. Upper surface is medium green, slightly lighter below but not grey. Flowers small, monoecious or dioecious, in clusters 10–15 cm long. Fruits are 3–10 mm dia. berries, initially green, turning black when ripe.

HABITAT: Dry or moist lowland forests, scrubland and disturbed habitats (river banks, hedgerows).

STATUS: Established in southern France with a few scattered records from other parts of Europe. Not yet found in Slovenia.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Leaves of grapevine (Vitis vinifera subsp. vinifera), wild grape (Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris) and fox grape (Vitis labrusca) are markedly three-lobed, differently indented on bases. Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) has shallowly three-lobed leaves with only slightly indented leaf-bases.

SOURCE: Field Guide to Invasive Alien Species in European Forests