Grapevines

A representative collection of Lithuanian grapevines (reflecting the history and achievements of Lithuanian breeding) and the most valuable frost-tolerant foreign varieties.

Grapevines (Vitis L.) are a genus of the grape family (Vitaceae L.), which includes about 70 species that grow naturally in the temperate and subtropical zones of the Northern Hemisphere. More than 40 species are found in Asia, about 30 in North America and 1, the common grapevine Vitis vinifera L., in Europe. The vines are leaf-bearing lianas which are rarely evergreen. They are attached to supports by tendrils. The bark is brown and breaks into banded fibers. Leaves are simple, continuous, or scabrous, less commonly compound pinnate. Flowers bisexual or unisexual, five-armed, small, greenish, or greenish-yellow, clustered in panicles. Fruit is a berry with 2-4 pear-shaped seeds.

Grapevines are one of the oldest and most commonly cultivated crops in the world. Old varieties have been developed from V. vinifera, but they are not very resistant to frost, diseases, and pests. Since the 19th century, varieties have been developed from other grapevine species or by crossing different species. The grapevine lives for decades. With constant care, it can bear fruit for 60-80 years and sometimes reach a productive age of 100-150 years.

Large vineyards are cultivated in many countries between 34°-52°N and 20°-40°S. Amateur horticulture grows grapevines in much harsher conditions. Thousands of different grapevine varieties have been developed. Vineyards cover millions of hectares.

The aim of VU Botanical Garden's grapevines collection is to collect valuable Lithuanian varieties and hybrids that reflect the history and achievements of grapevine breeding in Lithuania. The collection aims to bring together the best examples of hybrids from Lithuanian breeders with different economic and biological characteristics. The collection also includes varieties of foreign origin that can be overwintered uncovered and have tasty berries, high yields, and resistance to fungal diseases.

The first knowledge of grapevine cultivation in Lithuania can be found in Prof. J. E. Gilibert work “Lithuanian flora”. In the 18th and 19th centuries, they were cultivated in monasteries and manors: in the 18th century, there were 23 monasteries with 339 vineyards in Lithuania. In 1931, grapevines were introduced and studied in the Kaunas Botanical Garden of VMU. It was not until the second half of the 20th century that grapevines became more widespread in estates and gardens. Much of the work of popularizing grapevine cultivation and breeding in Lithuania was done by amateur breeders Antanas Gailiūnas (1918-2004) and Bronius Gaigalas (1946-2013). In the history of VU Botanical Garden, plant and seed lists mention plants of the genus Vitis vinifera L. in 1782, Vitis labrusca L. in 1821, and Vitis vulpina L. in 1824. The collection of grapevines at VU Botanical Garden was started in 1986. Currently, the collection includes 60 varieties, 46 of which are of Lithuanian origin, and 14 of which are of foreign origin.

		*Grapevine (Vitis* L.) 'Varduva'** A leaf-throwing liana that attaches itself to a support by means of tendrils. The tops of the young shoots are green, the tubercles and intertubercles are pink or red. Young leaves with copper-colored spots, upper half of adult leaves green, with 3 leaf lobes. Fruits are berries concentrated in short, medium dense, cylindrical-cone-shaped clusters, some of which have a single wing. The stalk of the bunch is short, green, with pink stripes. The berries are medium-sized, rounded, slightly flattened, yellowish-green, with thick, firm skin, mucilaginous flesh, 3-4 seeds, sweet, good flavor, with an aroma characteristic of the 'Izabela' variety, and ripen in the middle of September. It is a high-yielding variety, quite resistant to false powdery mildew, and tolerant to frost. The variety is included in the list of national genetic resources of Lithuanian plants. The author of this variety is A. Gailiūnas.
		*Grapevine (Vitis* L.) 'Retenė'** A leaf-throwing liana that attaches itself to a support by means of tendrils. The tops of the young shoots, the tubercles and intertubercles are pink or red. Fruits are berries concentrated in short or medium, medium dense, cylindrical-cone-shaped clusters with one wing. The stem of the bunch is short, reddish-purple. Berries medium sized, rounded, golden green, richly dotted with red dots, with juicy, crisp, or fleshy flesh, 2-4 seeds, thin firm skin with a thin waxy coating, sweet or sweet and sour, refreshing, with good flavor, ripens in the beginning of September. A dessert variety, low yielding, moderately resistant to false powdery mildew and frost. The author of this variety is A. Gailiūnas.
		*Grapevine (Vitis* L.) 'Reliance'** A leaf-throwing liana that attaches itself to a support by means of tendrils. The leaves are very large, dark green, hairy on the underside. Fruits are berries in short, conical, rare, medium density, with 1-2 wings clusters. The berries are seedless, medium-sized (berry weight 2-3g), oval, pink-red, with thin skin, juicy, sweet, with a pleasant flavor, ripening in the beginning of September. A very early, seedless, high-yielding, fungal diseases and frost-resistant variety developed in the USA by crossing 'Ontario' x 'Suffolk Red'.
		*Grapevine (Vitis* L.) 'Alwood'** A leaf-throwing liana that attaches itself to a support by means of tendrils. The leaves are large, thick, three-lobed. Fruit - berries concentrated into medium-sized, cylindrical, medium dense clusters (400-500g per cluster). The berries are medium-sized, rounded, dark red in color, with a fairly firm skin with a waxy coating, a juicy crisp or juicy flesh, sweet, refreshing, with a strawberry aroma and ripen in the mid-end September. Very high-yielding, usually grown for wine making, cold-hardy, sufficiently resistant to fungal diseases, developed in 1969 in Virginia, USA, by crossing 'Fredonia' x 'Athens'.