Botanical: Vitis labrusca 'Catawba'
General Characteristics: Catawba' is a Vitis labrusca hybrid grape that is commonly used for wines, champagnes, jams/jellies and juice. It is grown by some vineyards for production of blush and rose wines. It is an American grape variety that produces copper-red berries. It is a woody, deciduous, tendril-climbing vine. Panicles of fragrant, greenish flowers appear in spring. Large, shallowly-three-lobed green foliage. Flowers are attractive to bees. Ripe fruit is attractive to some hornets and wasps.
Grapes are primarily grown for fruit production in home fruit gardens where ornamental interest is not a concern. However, grapes do in fact have good ornamental value: bold summer foliage, some fall color, showy fruit and shaggy, twisted trunking and branching often best seen in winter. When grown on fences, walls, trellises, arbors or other structures, grapes can be quite attractive year-round and can provide good cover, screening, or shade to areas around the home.
