The indigenous wild grapevine, Vitis vinifera subsp. silvestris, is the ancestral form of V. vinifera subsp. vinifera, the cultivated grapevine. The latter is represented by 5 to 10 thousand cultivars in the world (called “cépages” in french), which produce wines, table grapes and raisins. The subspecies silvestris has never been domesticated and represents the only endemic taxon of Vitaceae family in Europe. The repartition of this subspecies extends from Portugal to Turkmenistan and from Rhine riversides to northern forests of Tunisia. In this area, it is relatively frequent to find grapevine in natural environments, but they are generally old or recent cultivars that went back to wild status. These plants are capable of vegetative propagation. They can also cross with V. v. silvestris spontaneously. Consequently, different intermediary forms between wild and cultivated grapevines exist. The “real” V. v. silvestris are very rare, due to the strong genetic erosion during the last centuries. This taxon is not well-known and needs national updated surveys. In 1999, we initiated an inventory and a characterization of wild grapevine in France. About 100 botanical stations and 300 individuals have been listed. The stations were characterized for their climates, soils, landscapes and vegetal associations. The number of plants, the inter-individual distance and the sex ratio were analysed for each station. The morphology of the individuals was studied, in relation with that of the cultivated and hybrid forms. Some biological characters of V. v. silvestris in natural environment were also assessed : development, vegetative propagation, phenology, fertility, pathogen susceptibility. This study confirms the scarcity of this subspecies and justifies its classification on the French National List of Protected Plants. The results contribute to enhance our knowledge of this botanical and viticultural heritages. They will allow us to reason about future prospecting and to consider concrete preservation.
Characterization of indigenous wild grapevine in France
DI VECCHI STARAZ, Manuel;
2005-01-01
Abstract
The indigenous wild grapevine, Vitis vinifera subsp. silvestris, is the ancestral form of V. vinifera subsp. vinifera, the cultivated grapevine. The latter is represented by 5 to 10 thousand cultivars in the world (called “cépages” in french), which produce wines, table grapes and raisins. The subspecies silvestris has never been domesticated and represents the only endemic taxon of Vitaceae family in Europe. The repartition of this subspecies extends from Portugal to Turkmenistan and from Rhine riversides to northern forests of Tunisia. In this area, it is relatively frequent to find grapevine in natural environments, but they are generally old or recent cultivars that went back to wild status. These plants are capable of vegetative propagation. They can also cross with V. v. silvestris spontaneously. Consequently, different intermediary forms between wild and cultivated grapevines exist. The “real” V. v. silvestris are very rare, due to the strong genetic erosion during the last centuries. This taxon is not well-known and needs national updated surveys. In 1999, we initiated an inventory and a characterization of wild grapevine in France. About 100 botanical stations and 300 individuals have been listed. The stations were characterized for their climates, soils, landscapes and vegetal associations. The number of plants, the inter-individual distance and the sex ratio were analysed for each station. The morphology of the individuals was studied, in relation with that of the cultivated and hybrid forms. Some biological characters of V. v. silvestris in natural environment were also assessed : development, vegetative propagation, phenology, fertility, pathogen susceptibility. This study confirms the scarcity of this subspecies and justifies its classification on the French National List of Protected Plants. The results contribute to enhance our knowledge of this botanical and viticultural heritages. They will allow us to reason about future prospecting and to consider concrete preservation.
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