Riverbank grape appears in many Midwestern ecosystems, but as its name suggests it is particularly fond of riverbanks, where it often spreads across the ground with poison ivy and nettles, or climbs bushes and trees to dangle above the waterline. Despite its name, however, riverbank grape is also frequently encountered at the edges of woods or in woodland clearings—and in prairie settings and disturbed habitats (power line cuttings, railroad beds, and so on).

Grape vines are not the easiest plants in the world to identify, but riverbank grape has enough distinguishing features to make identification approachable most of the time. The leaves' undersides are not particularly fuzzy or whitish, which eliminates several Vitis species common in the Midwest. The shape of the leaves is a bit variable, but it often features three lobes, separated by relatively shallow "sinuses" or gaps. The teeth of the leaves are pointed and, especially at the tips of the lobes, can be quite lengthened. Identification contenders that also feature non-fuzzy undersides include fox grape (Vitis vulpina), with most leaves lacking lobes, and catbird grape (Vitis palmata), with very deeply cut lobes and black, rather than bluish, grapes. In the Ozarks and in Kentucky, sand grape (Vitis rupestris) can look similar, appearing almost exclusively on sand bars and gravel bars; it can be separated from riverbank grape by its proportionally wide leaves and its lack of tendrils.

Riverbank grape is edible, according to our sources—but the grapes we have tried were rather sour. We have had good luck using the leaves, however, to make dolmades.

leaves with very shallow sinuses

note the elongated teeth

leaves with more "typical" lobes

note relatively bald underside of the young leaf on the left—neither fuzzy nor white

flowers

stem and tendrils

immature grapes

maturing grapes

mature grapes

References: GN Jones 1971, RL Jones 2005, Voss & Reznicek 2012, Mohlenbrock 2014, Hilty 2018, USDA 2018.

Kuo, Michael & Melissa Kuo (July, 2018). Vitis riparia (riverbank grape). Retrieved from the midwestnaturalist.com website: www.midwestnaturalist.com/vitis_riparia.html

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