Vernacular Name: Heller's grape

Synonyms: Vitis berlandieri Planch.; Vitis cordifolia Michx. var. helleri Bailey; Vitis helleri (Bailey) Small

Distribution: South-central Texas and adjacent Mexico (as V. cinerea var. helleri).

Plants Seen or Cited: The following citation is probably one source for the inclusion of this species in New Mexico: New Mexico and Texas, 1834, Berlandier 2412 (holotype at PH). A second comes from the NMNHP data-base element code PDVIT04040, referring to a specimen collected 1951-05-18 from Oak Spring in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, .25 mi NW of Visitor's Center, a collection by O. Clark, AC# 5053 MSB. This specimen was not seen.

Habitat: Moist habitats, floodplains, lowland woods, stream and pond margins, 100-700 m (Moore, 1991, unubl.); Climbing on shrubs and trees and over boulders in canyons and on limestone slopes (Correll and Johnston 1970).

Comments: Martin and Hutchins (1980) do not report this species from New Mexico. Correll and Johnston (1970) state the species occurs on the Edwards Plateau and northern Mexico. Moore (1991, unpubl.) agrees with this geographic range, but considers V. berlandieri to be a synonym of V. cinerea (Engelm. in Gray) Engelm. ex Millardet var. helleri (Bailey) M. O. Moore. In his 1991 publication Moore sites the type for V. berlandieri as coming from New Mexico and Texas, the collection made in 1834 (see above). In his "representative specimens" for the taxonomic treatment he sites no material from New Mexico. It is likely that Berlandier was very generally locating his collection, a common practice of the time. The single record from Carlsbad Caverns National Park is plausible but needs confirmation by a specialist.

Status: Questionably in New Mexico as a peripheral; not rare within its range. A species of south-central Texas and adjacent Mexico with a very early, very indefinite and general reference to the species being in "New Mexico" by Berlandier (see comments) and the citation of a single specimen in the NMNHP data-base from the east side of the Guadalupe Mountains.

Important Literature:

Correll, D.S., and M.C. Johnston. 1970. Manual of the Vascular Plants of Texas. Texas Research Foundaton, Renner. 1881 pp.

Martin, W.C., and C.R. Hutchins. 1980. A Flora of New Mexico, vol. 1. J. Cramer, Vaduz. 1276 pp.

Moore, M.O. 1991. Classification and systematics of eastern North American Vitis L. (Vitaceae) north of Mexico. Sida 14(3):339-367.

Moore, M.O. Unpublished. Vitaceae, in Flora of North America North of Mexico, 60 manuscript pages + maps.

Information Compiled By: Richard Spellenberg, 1998