grape, common name for the Vitaceae, a family of mostly climbing shrubs, widespread in tropical and subtropical regions and extending into the temperate zones. The woody vines, or lianas, climb by means of tendrils, which botanically are adaptations of terminal buds. The principal genera are Cissus, chiefly tropical, Parthenocissus (including the Virginia creeper Virginia creeper, native woody vine (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) of the family Vitaceae ( grape family), tall growing and popular as a wall covering in the temperate United States.
..... Click the link for more information. and Boston ivy ivy, name applied loosely to any trailing or climbing plant , particularly cultivated forms, but more popularly a designation for Hedera helix, the so-called English ivy, and some related species of the family Araliaceae ( ginseng family).
..... Click the link for more information. ), Ampelopsis (see ampelopsis ampelopsis (ăm'pĭlŏp`səs) [Gr.
..... Click the link for more information. ), and Vitis; the latter three include species native to the United States. Plants of the grape genus Vitis are extensively cultivated throughout the Northern Hemisphere. V. vinifera, which probably originated in the Mediterranean area and W Asia, is the grape of agriculture known since ancient times and frequently mentioned in the Bible. It is cultivated in the Old World and has been introduced successfully in South America and on the west coast of North America. Attempts to naturalize it E of the Rockies failed, chiefly because of the insect pest phylloxera phylloxera (fĭlŏk`sĭrə), small, sap-eating, greenish insect of the genus Phylloxera, closely related to the aphid .
..... Click the link for more information. ; the grapes now grown in this area are either hybrids of V. vinifera with resistant American grapes or varieties derived from native American species. Chief among these are V. rotundifolia, the muscadine, or scuppernong, grape, and its varieties (James, Eden, and others) of the Gulf and southeastern states, and V. labrusca, the fox grape, from which are derived the Concord, Catawba, Delaware, and many other cultivated varieties of the eastern and northern states. California produces some two thirds of the grapes grown in the United States, and New York state ranks second in output. Grapes are sometimes classed according to their use, e.g., wine wine, alcoholic beverage made by the fermentation of the juice of the grape. So ancient that its origin is unknown, wine is mentioned in early Egyptian inscriptions and in the literature of many lands.
..... Click the link for more information. , raisin raisin, dried fruit of certain varieties of grapevines bearing grapes with a high content of sugar and solid flesh. Although the fruit is sometimes artificially dehydrated, it is usually sun-dried.
..... Click the link for more information. , table, juice, or canning grapes. The cultivated grapevine is prey to numerous pests and diseases and requires a great deal of care (see vineyard vineyard, land on which cultivation of the grape —known as viticulture—takes place. As many as 40 varieties of grape, Vitis vinifera, are known.
..... Click the link for more information. ). The art of grape growing was said in Greek legend to have been introduced by Dionysus Dionysus (dīənī`səs), in Greek religion and mythology, god of fertility and wine.
..... Click the link for more information. ; Bacchus Bacchus (băk`əs), in Roman religion and mythology, god of wine; in Greek mythology, Dionysus .
..... Click the link for more information. was the god of wine. Throughout history, the grape has been a symbol in art and literature of revelry and joy. Grapes are classified in the division Magnoliophyta Magnoliophyta (măg'nōlēŏf`ətə)
..... Click the link for more information. , class Magnoliopsida, order Rhamnales, family Vitaceae.
Any of the 60 plant species that make up the genus Vitis (family Vitaceae), native to the northern temperate zone, including varieties that may be eaten as table fruit, dried to produce raisins, or crushed to make grape juice or wine. V. vinifera is the species most commonly used in wine making. The grape is usually a woody vine, climbing by means of tendrils. In arid regions it may form an almost erect shrub. Botanically, the fruit is a berry. Grapes contain such minerals as calcium and phosphorus and are a source of vitamin A. All grapes contain sugar (glucose and fructose) in varying quantities depending on the variety.
grape
..... Click the link for more information. and Boston ivy ivy, name applied loosely to any trailing or climbing plant , particularly cultivated forms, but more popularly a designation for Hedera helix, the so-called English ivy, and some related species of the family Araliaceae ( ginseng family).
..... Click the link for more information. ), Ampelopsis (see ampelopsis ampelopsis (ăm'pĭlŏp`səs) [Gr.
..... Click the link for more information. ), and Vitis; the latter three include species native to the United States. Plants of the grape genus Vitis are extensively cultivated throughout the Northern Hemisphere. V. vinifera, which probably originated in the Mediterranean area and W Asia, is the grape of agriculture known since ancient times and frequently mentioned in the Bible. It is cultivated in the Old World and has been introduced successfully in South America and on the west coast of North America. Attempts to naturalize it E of the Rockies failed, chiefly because of the insect pest phylloxera phylloxera (fĭlŏk`sĭrə), small, sap-eating, greenish insect of the genus Phylloxera, closely related to the aphid .
..... Click the link for more information. ; the grapes now grown in this area are either hybrids of V. vinifera with resistant American grapes or varieties derived from native American species. Chief among these are V. rotundifolia, the muscadine, or scuppernong, grape, and its varieties (James, Eden, and others) of the Gulf and southeastern states, and V. labrusca, the fox grape, from which are derived the Concord, Catawba, Delaware, and many other cultivated varieties of the eastern and northern states. California produces some two thirds of the grapes grown in the United States, and New York state ranks second in output. Grapes are sometimes classed according to their use, e.g., wine wine, alcoholic beverage made by the fermentation of the juice of the grape. So ancient that its origin is unknown, wine is mentioned in early Egyptian inscriptions and in the literature of many lands.
..... Click the link for more information. , raisin raisin, dried fruit of certain varieties of grapevines bearing grapes with a high content of sugar and solid flesh. Although the fruit is sometimes artificially dehydrated, it is usually sun-dried.
..... Click the link for more information. , table, juice, or canning grapes. The cultivated grapevine is prey to numerous pests and diseases and requires a great deal of care (see vineyard vineyard, land on which cultivation of the grape —known as viticulture—takes place. As many as 40 varieties of grape, Vitis vinifera, are known.
..... Click the link for more information. ). The art of grape growing was said in Greek legend to have been introduced by Dionysus Dionysus (dīənī`səs), in Greek religion and mythology, god of fertility and wine.
..... Click the link for more information. ; Bacchus Bacchus (băk`əs), in Roman religion and mythology, god of wine; in Greek mythology, Dionysus .
..... Click the link for more information. was the god of wine. Throughout history, the grape has been a symbol in art and literature of revelry and joy. Grapes are classified in the division Magnoliophyta Magnoliophyta (măg'nōlēŏf`ətə)
..... Click the link for more information. , class Magnoliopsida, order Rhamnales, family Vitaceae.
grape
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Grape (Vitis).
(credit: Grant Heilman Photography)
grape
1. the fruit of the grapevine, which has a purple or green skin and sweet flesh: eaten raw, dried to make raisins, currants, or sultanas, or used for making wine
2. any of various plants that bear grapelike fruit, such as the Oregon grape
3. See grapevine
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