TheVitaceae, also called thegrape family, is a family offlowering plants that has 20 genera[3] and around 910 known species[4] in its monotypic orderVitales, including common plants such asgrapevines (Vitis spp.) andVirginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia).[5] The family name is derived from the genusVitis. Most of its members are distributed in tropical areas and many are dominantclimbers with ecological significance.[6]
Members of Vitaceae show a high variety in their chromosome number. MostVitis species have 38chromosomes (n=19), but the species belong to one ofVitis' subgeneraMuscadinia have 40 (n=20).[7] Other genera in the family such asAmpelocissus,Parthenocissus, andAmpelopsis could have 40 chromosomes (n=20) while genusCissus may have 24 chromosomes (n=12).[5]
The family is economically important as theberries ofVitis species, commonly known asgrapes, are an important fruit crop and, when fermented, producewine.[3][5]
The family name sometimes appears asVitidaceae, but Vitaceae is aconserved name and therefore has priority over both Vitidaceae and another name sometimes found in the older literature,Ampelidaceae.[3]
LeeaD.Royen: The genus previously placed in its ownmonotypic family, Leeaceae, was included in Vitaceae byAPG IV (2016)[9] and theAngiosperm Phylogeny Website.
Well preserved-fruits ofIndovitis chitaleyae containing seeds with similar morphology to the Vitaceae have been recovered fromLate CretaceousDeccanIntertrappean beds of several sites in centralIndia. These fruits and their dispersed seeds found in the same sediments, about 66 million years old, represent the oldest known fossils of the grape family. The fossil fruits containing 4 to 6 seeds are very similar to extantVitis.[11]
