TheVitaceae are a family offlowering plants, with 20 genera[3] and around 910 known species,[4] including common plants such asgrapevines (Vitis spp.) andVirginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia). The family name is derived from the genusVitis.
The family is economically important as theberries ofVitis species, commonly known asgrapes, are an important fruit crop and, when fermented, producewine.
The 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. In theAPG III system (2009) onwards, the family is placed in its own order,Vitales.Molecular phylogenetic studies place the Vitales as the most basal clade in therosids.[5] In theCronquist system, the family was placed near the familyRhamnaceae in orderRhamnales.
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.[7]
^Wen, Jun; Lu, Li-Min; Nie, Ze-Long; Liu, Xiu-Qun; Zhang, Ning; Ickert-Bond, Stefanie; Gerrath, Jean; Manchester, Steven R.; Boggan, John; Chen, Zhi-Duan (2018). "A new phylogenetic tribal classification of the grape family (Vitaceae)".Journal of Systematics and Evolution.56 (4):262–272.Bibcode:2018JSyEv..56..262W.doi:10.1111/jse.12427.
^Manchester, Steven R.; Kapgate, Dashrath K.; Wen, Jun (September 2013). "Oldest fruits of the grape family (Vitaceae) from the Late Cretaceous Deccan cherts of India".Am. J. Bot.100 (9):1849–59.doi:10.3732/ajb.1300008.JSTOR23596215.PMID24036414..
