Fox Grape (Vitis labrusca)

Native to the forests, meadows, and freshwater shores of eastern North America, this flowering vine is distinguished from its relatives by its production of tendrils from almost every one of its leaf nodes. These tendrils are small, spiraling appendages by which the vine grows as they stretch and grab onto surrounding foliage or structures. A vigorous climber, both horizontally and vertically, this deciduous woody vine may reach grow as long as 40 feet. Its large, thick leaves have three lobes with a bight green color on top and dense, brown-gray fuzz on the underside. 

While tolerant of a variety of soil conditions, fox grape thrives under full sunlight in well-drained, nutrient-rich areas with good air circulation. In fact, the more sunlight a plant gets, the sweeter the grapes it will produce. These clusters of blue-purple berries ripen in autumn after the sweetly aromatic flowers that bloom in June. They are consumed by numerous birds and mammals and are delicious to humans. Moreover, this species is the source of numerous grape cultivars that have become significant agricultural crops, including the Concord grape, which are used for grape juices and jellies.