Ampelopsis

wild grape, porcelain berry, creeper

[Compiler's note - of all the summaries, I believe this one is the most questionable. Wm. N. Valavanis indicated that he believed the summary to be inaccurate, and I agree - but I have been unable to access better information. I refer the reader to the magazines Mr. Valavanis mentions in his post.]

Once classified as Hedera, an ivy, and then as Vitis, a vine, the genus Ampelopsis was created in 1803. Nobody cared. In 1887, botanists finally took note when the genus was further divided into Ampelopsis and Parthenocissus over some small variations in structure. The end result is that there are few common plants that fall into this genus, and we have two almost unspellable names to remember. Botanists!

The choice for bonsai is Ampelopsis brevipedunculata, the wild grape or porcelain berry, although the Samsons recommend the genus in general. A. brevipedunculata is a lovely creeping plant with porcelain blue beries.

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Lighting:

 Likes lots of light, especially the variegated forms.

Temperature:

 Can be grown as an indoor bonsai. The Samsons recommend that it never be exposed to temperatures under 54F. However, the company that sold me my Ampelopsis brevipedunculata claims that it should be hardy in zones 6-9, and those who posted indicated that their porcelain beries survived temperatures of 20F and below. Ampelopsis should have a dormant period with leaf loss.

Watering:

 Variable according to the growth of the plant. In winter, will need little water, but in summer, it will drink, drink drink!

Feeding:

 The Samsons recommend slow-acting organic fertilizer in spring and autumn. I've been using Pokon Bonsai Food once monthly, and it seems just fine. Heavy phosphorus feeding in autumn may help to prevent winter die back.

Repotting:

 Every second year in April. Depending on rate of growth, roots may be pruned by up to half. Use basic soil mix, perhaps a bit heavy on the organic components.

Styling:

 In a relatively short time, Ampelopsis will form a gnarled, woody trunk. It is very fast growing, and a natural creeper. Styling it as anything other than weeping or cascade styles would be a challenge, to say the least! It is easiest to develop a thick trunk and a few nice branches, and then allow new growth to extend each season. (It may be necessary to prune die back, in any case) To keep the tree neatly styled, wait until 3-5 "eyes" have developed, then prune to 1-2 "eyes" as necessary throught the growing season. It can be wired during the spring and summer, but wiring should be used sparingly and limited to trunk and major branches. Ampelopsis can be leaf-pruned in late spring or early summer to promote leaf reduction. The plant may flower several times during the season. Murata recommends that fruit from early flowers be removed, as it tends to have an unattractive dirty white color, and deadheading will promote the appearance of later flowers. Flowers from late in the season produce the characteristically lovely blue berries.

Propagation:

 From softwood cuttings in early spring, or by simple layering in April-May. The plant may also be grown from seeds collected from the berries, which must be cold treated and sown in spring.

Pests etc.:

 Scale, mildew, black rot. The leaves are very susceptible to insect damage; unfortunately, the leaves are also quite sensitive to pesticide when sprayed. A systemic applied early in the season may be the best solution. Trailing branches often die back in the winter.

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Date: Thurs, 11 Jul 1996 
From: Iris Cohen 

I have a small Turquoise berry, Ampelopsis brevipedunculata 
'Elegans', the little cousin of the grapevine which put on a 
clown costume and joined the circus. Specifically, it does look 
like a miniature grapevine with tendrils.  The leaves on this 
cultivar are variegated. The "grapes" are a remarkable blue color 
perhaps never seen before or since in the plant kingdom. They look
like stone or china beads, hence the other common name, Porcelain 
berry.

Iris

=================================================================

From: intbonsai@aol.com (INT BONSAI)
Date: 24 Jul 1996 23:15:22 -0400

I kind of disagree with some of the information on the porcelain berry,
having grown it for over 25 years and kind of introduced it to the bonsai
community many, many years ago. Additional valid information on porcelain
berry can be found in the following:

International BONSAI, 1989/NO. 3
Page 25 "The Beauty of Porcelain Berry Bonsai"

Bonsai Clubs International magazine
October 1986
Cover photo and page 7 "About The Cover"


Wm. N. Valavanis

=================================================================

Date: Sun, 28 Jul 1996 17:58:23 -0400
From: Ray Fuller 

Bill:

I for one and I suppect many others do not have access to either of the
magazine issues you reference.

I would be very interested in your insights.


Ray Fuller
Bonsaii@aol.com

=================================================================

From: newcombg@ava.BCC.ORST.EDU (Gene Newcomb)
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 96 07:31:41 PST

In article <4t46h5$cg6@prometheus.acsu.buffalo.edu>, you say...
snip
>Once classified as Hedera, an ivy, and then as Vitis, a vine, 
>the genus Ampelopsis was created in 1803.  Nobody cared.  In 
>1887, botanists finally took note when the genus was further 
>divided into Ampelopsis and Parthenocissus over some small 
>variations in structure.  The end result is that there are few 
>common plants that fall into this genus, and we have two almost 
>unspellable names to remember.  Botanists!
>
As a botanist I find the above paragraph excessively cute. The 
name history you present is only partially accurate and somewhat
beside the point. The name Ampelopsis is Greek for 'like the 
grapevine' not a bad description of the plant.  Greco-latinate
names were originally chosen because the educated classes could
read them.  Unfortunately this is no longer the case.  I include
myself in the ignorant.  Would we be better off if Ampelopsis 
were known by its Oriental name?
 
snip
>
>Temperature:  Can be grown as an indoor bonsai.  The Samsons 
>recommend that it never be exposed to temperatures under 54F.  
>However, the company that sold me my Ampelopsis brevipedunculata 
>claims that it should be hardy in zones 6-9.  It should have 
>a dormant period with leaf loss.
>
I agree it is somewhat hardy.  Mine has gone unprotected, I am
ashamed to say, through winter days in the 20's without damage.
The Willamette Valley is in Sunset Garden Books zone 6 (USDA 8?).
  -- gene in Philomath OR
newcombg@bcc.orst.edu

=================================================================

Date: Mon, 29 Jul 1996 08:16:55 -0400
From: jjd@harriseda.com (Jim Dolce)

   I have been growing Ampelopsis for about 4 years now.  I live in the 
Rochester, NY area and since your email is coming from Buffalo.edu I assume
you have an idea of what our winters are like.
   The only piece of information I can add to your draft is that I believe
the Porcelain Berry to be very hardy.  I've had one in the ground for the
past 3 winters with absolutely no problem.  I've had a couple more that I've
overwintered in my garage.  At one point the temperature in there actually
dropped to about 17F.  The plants didn't seem to mind at all.  In fact this
past winter I overwintered 2 cuttings that were started in the fall. They were
only in very small plastic pots and spent a good part of the winter frozen 
solid, but they came through just fine.    

   Have a nice day,

        Jim Dolce
     
=================================================================

From: IrisCohen@aol.com
Date: Sun, 8 Sep 1996 22:13:19 -0400

Sabrina,
Sorry, I can't be of too much help, since I have only been growing the plant
for a few years, and I haven't done any styling yet. I can tell you that it
will grow a thick, gnarled, lower trunk pretty quickly. It is very
susceptible to insect damage, and unfortunately also susceptible to spray
damage. In the future I will try systemic granules applied to the soil. It is
susceptible to winter die-back, even when kept above freezing. This year, I
will see if Michael's recommendation on heavy phosphorus feeding in the fall
will help. My biggest complaint right now is that the plant has been blooming
for over a month, but refuses to set fruit.
Most of my bonsai books and magazines are packed up right now, due to moving,
so I can't help you with the magazine articles.

Iris

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Information Sources:

Information on Ampelopsis is taken from Murata's "Four Seasons of Bonsai," and the Samsons' "Creative Art of Bonsai," posts by Iris Cohen, Wm. N. Valavanis, Ray Fuller, Gene Newcomb, Jim Dolce, and my own experience, with species information from Coats' "Garden Shrubs and Their Histories."


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