Vitis
noun
Lianas, woody, usually polygamo-dioecious, rarely hermaphroditic. Bark usually shedding; tendrils leaf-opposed, usually bifurcate. Leaves simple, often lobed, sometimes palmately compound; stipules usually caducous. Inflorescence a thyrse. Flowers 5-merous. Calyx saucer-shaped; sepals minute. Petals united at apex and shed as a cap (calyptra) at anthesis. Stamens opposite to petals, undeveloped and abortive in female flowers. Disk conspicuous, 5-lobed or ring-shaped. Pistil 1; style slender; stigma slightly expanded. Berry globose, 2-4-seeded. Seeds obovoid or obovoid-elliptic, base rostrate, abaxially 1-furrowed with a rounded or suborbicular or elliptic chalazal knot, adaxially 2-furrowed; endosperm M-shaped in cross-section. About 60 species: mostly in temperate regions, extending to the subtropics with the species diversity primarily in China and E North America; 37 species (30 endemic, one introduced) in China. Vitis vinifera Linnaeus, the well-known source plant for grapes and wine, has a long history of cultivation all over the world. The wild grape species are primarily distributed in three centers of diversity: East Asia, North to Central America, and Europe to Central Asia. In China, Vitis occurs naturally in all provinces except Xinjiang, Qinghai, Nei Mongol, and Ningxia. The roots, stems, and leaves of several wild species are used as medicine; the berries are edible or used to make wine; and the seeds are sometimes used for oil.