Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.146835
Element CodePDVIT04090
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderRhamnales
FamilyVitaceae
GenusVitis
Other Common Namesdesert wild grape (EN) Desert Wild Grape (EN)
Concept ReferenceKartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Taxonomic CommentsVitis girdiana is distinct from Vitis californica according to phylogenetic data; however, the two species are suspected to intergrade or hybridize where their ranges overlap (Wada 2008). Vitis girdiana is also suspected to hybridize with the non-native V. vinifera (Wada 2008).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2022-02-08
Change Date2022-02-08
Edition Date2022-02-08
Edition AuthorsMcCarry and Frances
Threat ImpactHigh - low
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Rank ReasonsVitis girdiana is a woody vine that occurs in the western United States (California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah) and Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur). It is threatened by habitat destruction from highway construction along the coastal portion of its range. Vitis girdiana hybridizes with the non-native grapevine, V. vinifera, and the native V. californica, but the threat of hybridization to naturally-occurring populations has not been quantified. In addition to the threat of hybridization, the habitats of southwestern Vitis species are impacted by several large-scale threats.
Range Extent CommentsVitis girdiana occurs in the United States and Mexico. The majority of the population is in southern California, United States and in northern Baja California, Mexico (Flora of North America 2016). The population extends to southern Nevada (Nye, Esmeralda, and Clark Counties), southwestern Utah (Washington County), and northwestern Arizona in the United States (Jepson Flora Project 2022, Wada 2008), and to Baja California Sur in Mexico. Vitis girdiana has also been reported from Sonora, Mexico.
Occurrences CommentsThere are approximately 900 observations; however, not all have been verified. Additionally, the observations have not been mapped as Element Occurrences. Therefore, an estimated range of the number of occurrences was selected.
Threat Impact CommentsAccording to Walker et al. (2019), Vitis girdiana is threatened by habitat destruction in the coastal part of its range. Specifically, the authors note that construction along Highway 76 has negatively affected this species' habitat along the San Luis Rey River (Walker et al. 2019). Vitis girdiana is threatened by hybridization with the non-native grapevine (V. vinifera); however, the frequency of introgression and level of threat is not well known (Wada 2008). Southwestern Vitis species are threatened by grazing, drought, invasive species, and herbicide use along highways (Fayyaz et al. 2021, Heinitz et al 2019).