Wild Grapes
You’re likely familiar with sweet, seedless supermarket grapes, and perhaps you’ve visited one of PEI’s commercial vineyards. But did you know that the Island has wild grapes as well? Meet the Riverbank Grape (Vitis riparia).
Riverbank Grape is native to Canada, including neighbouring New Brunswick where it’s relatively common. Here on PEI, Riverbank Grape was introduced about a century ago (likely from NB), and I occasionally find it having escaped from old homesteads and growing wild: climbing high up into spruce trees along woodland edges or sprawling through riparian zones, for example.
These grapes have hand-sized, heart-shaped leaves with toothed edges and three larger lobes (main photo). Clusters of green grapes start to form in July and August, and they’ll darken to purple when ripe in late September (inset photo). The grapes are edible (though sour) and make excellent jelly, while the leaves can be fermented and used in the same way as store-bought grape leaves.
Riverbank Grapes have been used in commercial plant-breeding programs to create grape vines with increased cold hardiness; Marechal Foch and Frontenac are a couple of hybrid grapes you may recognize that have Riverbank Grape in their lineage. I’ve never tried making wine from wild Riverbank Grapes, but you certainly could.
Although this species is not native to the Island, it’s not causing any biological, economic, or social harm and so I don’t consider it invasive. The fruit is very popular with wildlife, and large numbers of Ravens, Crows, and Blue Jays, in particular, compete with me for Riverbank Grapes this time of year.
No other wild plants on PEI resemble Riverbank Grape, but further west – along the St. Lawrence River and around the Great Lakes, for example – Canada Moonseed (Menispermum canadense) shares its range and has similar, grape-like fruit. If you’re in those areas, be sure to get familiar with that toxic look-alike before foraging wild grapes.
I’ve only found Riverbank Grapes in a handful of locations around the Island. They may not be common, but they are part of PEI Untamed!
