Vitis wilsoniae Veitch ex Gard. Chron.

A very vigorous deciduous climber with woolly young shoots. Leaves roundish ovate, more or less heart-shaped at the base, short-pointed, wavy-toothed, 3 to 6 in. wide, woolly all over when young, becoming glabrous above but remaining cobwebby beneath especially on the veins. The fruits are black covered with a purplish bloom and scarcely 1⁄2 in. long, borne in slender bunches 3 to 5 in. long, often unbranched.

Native of Central China; discovered by Wilson in 1902 and introduced then or in 1904 when collecting for Messrs Veitch. They exhibited it in October 1909, as V. Wilsonae, and it was then given an Award of Merit for its fine deep red autumn colour. In recording this, the Gardeners’ Chronicle published a short description of the plant, and a figure of one leaf. It is a vigorous vine, but now uncommon.