Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants

See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

rate this answer

2 ratings

Thursday - May 17, 2012

From: Sunset Valley, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: General Botany, Vines
Title: Variation in leaves for Vitis mustangensis
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Hi, I am doing a sculpture of a mustang grape vine in limestone. In seeking a good leaf image I notice that there are both roundish shaped leaves and highly divided or "fingered" shapes on your site. Are both shapes Texas mustang foliage just variations for vine ages etc. Clear this up for me please. Thanks StoneCarverCat

ANSWER:

Vitis mustangensis (Mustang grape) has two different types of leaves and the type isn't associated with the age of the leaf—the shape of the leaf doesn't change once it has formed. However, according to Brother Daniel Lynch in Native & Naturalized Woody Plants of Austin & the Hill Country, it depends on the the speed of growth of the shoots. Here is what he says:

"Leaves in two forms; one form unlobed or shallowly lobed, and the other form deeply lobed, with the latter less common and on rapidly growing shoots. The lower surface of the unlobed leaves often concave."

You can read the text concerning the leaves of the mustang grape in Shinners and Mahler's Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas on p. 1072 and see the drawings on p. 1073.

From the Image Gallery

Mustang grape
Vitis mustangensis

Bibliography

Native & Naturalized Woody Plants of Austin & the Hill Country (1981) Lynch, D.

Shinners & Mahler's Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas (1999) Diggs, G. M.; B. L. Lipscomb; B. O'Kennon; W. F. Mahler; L. H. Shinners

Search More Titles in Bibliography