Tell wild grape apart from common moonseed and porcelain berry, which are poisonous and invasive look-alike plants that can be hard to ID.
Porcelain Berry and Moonseed vs Wild Grape: Plant ID
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Native and Tasty: Riverbank Grape
This member of the grape family is native to most of the U.S. and parts of Canada. Growing up to 75 feet, vines produce edible fruit in late summer or fall that sweeten after first frost. Vines of reddish-brown bark that shreds and peels into narrow strips can help identify it year-round. Leaves can vary from heart-shaped to lobed, with small points on the edges. It grows quickly and aggressively, crowding out small trees and shrubs.
Porcelain berry and moonseed look similar to wild grape, so it’s important to verify which plant is which.
Here’s how to grow grapes in your garden that you can eat.
Invasive: Porcelain Berry
Porcelain berry, also called amur peppervine, is from northeastern Asia and spreads aggressively. It snakes up other plants and structures in the same environments as riverbank grape but has shorter 20-foot-long vines. Established vines are woody and feature more rounded leaves with three distinct lobes.
The grapelike clusters of fruit are brightly colored compared to native grapes, in varying shades of purple and blue.
Poisonous: Common Moonseed
Common moonseed’s native range overlaps with riverbank grape, but moonseed is very toxic. Moonseed has white blooms that turn to bluish black grape like drupes in the fall. If you crush the fruit, you will see a single crescent-shaped seed.
The vine may also offer hints to the plant’s identity, as moonseed vines only grow 20 feet long and are green but become woody with age. The leaves are more rounded and have smooth edges.
According to Missouri Department of Conservation, the key differences to focus on with moonseed vs wild grape is moonseed’s single seed (as opposed to wild grape’s multiple seeds), and wild grape’s “toothed” leaf edges (as opposed to moonseed’s smooth leaf edges).
If you’re not sure which plant has taken up residence on your property, don’t risk it! Instead, reach out to your local extension office to confirm the identity. Even beyond offering guidance regarding which plants are safe to consume, they may also offer tips to remove noxious plants such as porcelain berry.
Sources
- North Carolina State Extension, “Menispermum canadense“
- Arnold Arborietum, “Three Times a Collection: The Quest for Moonseed“
- Missouri Department of Conservation, “Common Moonseed“
