Vitis coignetiae
Vitis coignetiae, commonly called crimson glory vine, is a species of grapevine belonging to the family Vitaceae. Is native to the temperate climes of Asia and can be found in the Russian Far East, Korea, and Japan. It was described botanically in 1883. It is called meoru in Korean and yama-budo in Japanese.
History
The species name is dedicated to Marie Coignet,, who reportedly brought seeds back from a trip to Japan with her husband in 1875.This vine was also reported in 1884 snowy regions of Japan by Henri Degron sent to East Asia to seek wild vines resistant to Phylloxera. Degron sent specimens to a Professor Planchon of Montpellier who named them Vitis coignetiae but did not retain them due to their low resistance to phylloxera. Degron planted a vineyard in Crespières, Île-de-France where one of the vines reached a length of 32.8 meters and a height of 2.8 meter. In the cooler Norman climate the vine produces a bitter wine, rich in color and extract.
Description
The vine is very vigorous, with grey-brown, tomentose shoots. The deciduous leaves are large, simple, orbicular, toothed, with 5-15 cm long petiole. Dark green during the growing season, they turn red-orange in autumn.Wild vines can be male, female or hermaphrodite. Clusters are large with small, purple-black, seeded berries. It is found in the mountainous regions of Japan and up to 1300 m altitude in Korea.
Uses
In East Asia it is grown as an ornamental plant for its crimson autumn foliage; and as a traditional medicine.It is a recipient of the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
It is used to produce wines in Korea and Japan. These are at first bitter, but softened with the addition of sugar.