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Species
Ampelopsis brevipedunculata var. maximowiczii (Regel) Rehd.
IUCN
NCBI
EOL Text
Porcelain-berry is a deciduous, woody, perennial vine. It twines with the help of non-adhesive tendrils that occur opposite the leaves and closely resembles native grapes in the genus Vitis. The stem pith of porcelain-berry is white (grape is brown) and continuous across the nodes (grape is not), the bark has lenticels (grape does not), and the bark does not peel (grape bark peels or shreds). The Ieaves are alternate, broadly ovate with a heart-shaped base, palmately 3-5 lobed or more deeply dissected, and have coarsely toothed margins. The inconspicuous, greenish-white flowers with "free" petals occur in cymes opposite the leaves from June through August (in contrast to grape species that have flowers with petals that touch at tips and occur in panicles. The fruits appear in September-October and are colorful, changing from pale lilac, to green, to a bright blue. Porcelain-berry is often confused with species of grape (Vitis) and may be confused with several native species of Ampelopsis -- Ampelopsis arborea and Ampelopsis cordata.
Porcelainberry seed is dispersed by birds ([53], reviews by [13,56]) and other small animals (review by [56]). White-tailed deer eat its fruit and may also disperse porcelainberry seed [73]. Porcelainberry fruits float (review by [40]), and it has been speculated that its seed may be dispersed by water [48], which may provide another mechanism for long-range dispersal (review by [40]).
porcelainberry
amur peppervine
porcelain berry
porcelain-berry
- Plant: deciduous, woody, perennial vine that resembles grape and climbs by non-adhesive tendrils at the base of each leaf; grows to 15-20 ft.; young twigs are usually pubescent; stem pith is white (grape is tan or brown) and is continuous across the nodes (except for V. rotundifolia, grape is interrupted by a diaphragm across the node); bark is dotted with lenticels and does not peel (grape bark lacks lenticels and peels or shreds).
- Leaves: alternate, simple, 3-5 lobed to highly dissected with heart-shaped base and coarsely toothed margins, shiny underneath with hairs on veins.
- Flowers, fruits and seeds: tiny, greenish-white flowers with petals separate at their tips occur in flat-topped clusters opposite the leaves; appear in summer (June through August); fruit is a speckled berry in colors ranging from aqua to pink to purple; each berry carries 2-4 seeds.
- Spreads: by seed that is eaten by birds and other small animals and dispersed in their droppings.
- Look-alikes: native species of grape (Vitis) and peppervine (Ampelopsis) including heartleaf peppervine (Ampelopsis cordata) which is native to the Southeast and has unlobed leaves and smooth (hairless) stems; other native Ampelopsis have compound leaves.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | U.S. National Park Service |
Source | http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/ambr.htm |
Each porcelainberry fruit contains 1 to 4 ([21], reviews by [56,70]) smooth, triangular ovoid seeds about 3.5 mm in length (review by [70]). In Japan, seed rain was surveyed every 1 or 2 weeks for approximately 8 months in 1987 on 6 plots containing 4 seed traps each. During that time, seed traps on one plot averaged 133 porcelainberry seeds per m², while seed traps on the remaining 5 plots had no porcelainberry seed. No details, however, were provided regarding porcelainberry's fruit production or abundance in the aboveground vegetation [39].
More info for the terms: hardwood, mesic, natural
Climate: Information pertaining to porcelainberry's overall climate range is unavailable; however, a few publications provide localized examples. Two accounts from the northeastern United States indicate that porcelainberry occurs in temperate climates that are moist and have winter temperatures that do not typically fall below freezing. In the District of Columbia, porcelainberry occurred in an area with an average annual minimum temperature of 43.5 °F (6.4 °C) in January and an average annual high temperature of 88.2 °F (31.2 °C) in July. Average annual precipitation for the area was 38.9 inches (987.8 mm) and was distributed evenly throughout the year [18]. In New York, porcelainberry occurred in an area with an average annual low temperature of 32 °F (0 °C) in January and an average annual high temperature of 77 °F (25 °C) in July. The area received an average of 44.1 inches (1,120 mm) of rainfall per year (Ruffner and Bair 1987 cited by [76]). Porcelainberry has been described as winter-hardy [3], and one publication indicated that porcelainberry may be grown in hardiness zones with average winter temperatures below freezing [16].
Elevation: A Forest Service fact sheet [63] stated that in North America, porcelainberry occurs at altitudes from approximately 500 to 2,000 feet (150-600 m). In New York, porcelainberry occurred at altitudes of approximately 82 feet (25 m) on one site [6] and from 250 to 705 feet (75-215 m) on another site [19] .
General habitat: Available evidence indicates that porcelainberry is common in urban areas ([4], review by [56]) and on anthropogenically influenced sites such as rights-of-way (railway, road, utility) ([2,7], reviews by [40,52]), vacant lots (review by [40]), and cultivated or abandoned agricultural fields ([47], reviews by [14,40,52]). It establishes in artificially created wetlands [34] or those that have been extensively altered [53]. Porcelainberry also invades wildlands including forests [6,17,18,24,43,48,58,76], wetlands [34], grasslands (reviews by [13,14]), shrublands [58], sand dunes (review by [52]), and riparian areas ([2], reviews by [14,40,52,56,70]). Because porcelainberry is likely intolerant of deep shade (see Successional status), its occurrence in forests and other shaded habitats is likely associated with edge habitat ([2,76], reviews by [38,40,52,70]) or disturbances that create canopy gaps ([2], reviews by [52,69]). One review [14] indicated that in the Northeast, porcelainberry can dominate forest edge vegetation. In New York, porcelainberry was abundant in a natural area that had undergone repeated anthropogenic disturbance, including extensive clearing and landscaping [76].
Moisture and Substrate: Information pertaining to moisture and substrate preference of porcelainberry is limited to anecdotal information derived from a few publications specific to the northeastern United States; porcelainberry may not be limited to the moisture regimes or substrates described here.
In the District of Columbia, porcelainberry occurred on well-drained to excessively well-drained sites (J. Short personal communication cited in [18]). It grows well in moist soils (reviews by [40,56,66]); however, it is not likely to thrive in permanently flooded soils (reviews by [16,56]).
A review of available literature [6,18,34,48] indicates that porcelainberry occurs in soils of variable texture; its preference for any specific type is unclear. In the District of Columbia porcelainberry occurred in fine loams or somewhat coarser soils [18], and in New York, it occurred in a mixed deciduous hardwood forest in loamy soil [6]. In Pennsylvania, porcelainberry occurred on a mesic site in deep silty soils derived from weathering of ancient granitic and hornblende gneisses [48]. In a constructed wetland in New Jersey, porcelainberry established in coarse sediments derived from river cobblestones, sand, and gravel [34].
Reports from the northeastern United States indicate that porcelainberry tolerates soil pH ranging from 3.6 to 5.5 ([6], J. Short personal communication cited in [18]) and may occur in soils low in nutrients (J. Short personal communication cited in [18]).
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More info for the term: vine
Reviews from North America indicate that porcelainberry flowers during midsummer [13] but may begin as early as June in some locations [16]. It continues to flower throughout the growing season [21]. Its fruit begins to develop in late summer (review by [52]) and matures in the fall (reviews by [16,52]). Because porcelainberry is slow to leaf out, most vegetative growth may occur in late summer [3].
In Canada, porcelainberry cultivated in a greenhouse flowered throughout the growing season from May to August; inflorescences developed a few weeks prior to anthesis. Shoots began forming and elongating in July. Growth continued until the first hard frost. Within a week after the first frost, all but the first-order and possibly a few of the oldest second-order shoots had abscised. A few fruits overwintered on the vine. Overwintering buds, not externally visible, developed at the base of the vine at the end of the growing season [21].
In a grassland community in Japan, porcelainberry seedlings typically emerged by mid-May, but some did not emerge until mid-July [39].
Porcelain-berry grows well in most soils, especially forest edges, pond margins, stream banks, thickets, and waste places, where there is full sunlight to partial shade, and where it is not permanently wet. Porcelain-berry appears to be less tolerant of heavily shaded areas, such as that found in mature forest interiors.
Porcelain-berry spreads by seed and through vegetative means. The colorful fruits, each with two to four seeds, attract birds and other small animals that eat the berries and disperse the seeds in their droppings. The seeds of porcelain-berry germinate readily to start new infestations. Porcelain-berry is often found growing in riparian areas downstream from established patches, suggesting they may be dispersed by water also. The taproot of porcelain-berry is large and vigorous. Resprouting will occur in response to cutting of above-ground portions.