Wild Grape (Porcelain Berry)
Ampelopsis glandulosa
ノブドウ
Vitaceae
Ampelopsis glandulosa (formerly A. brevipedunculata) is a vigorous
Native Container Wildlife value: high Maintenance: medium vine
Planting calendar (Tokyo baseline)
Pick a region in the header to shift the window.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planting | ||||||||||||
| Flowering | ||||||||||||
| Fruiting |
Tokyo baseline: months 3, 4, 10
Growing requirements
| Light | sun → part shade |
|---|---|
| Water | medium |
| Soil | any well-drained garden soil; thrives on poor and stony ground |
| Hardiness | Tokyo lowland |
| Container | Yes · Min container size: 25 L |
| Maintenance | medium |
| Common issues | midge galls (cosmetic, often considered part of the plant's character) |
Where to source
Seedlings, divisions, or seed. Native plant suppliers in Japan are the right starting point.
- Search Japanese suppliers for seedlings · native-plant suppliers
About this native
Ampelopsis glandulosa (formerly A. brevipedunculata) is a vigorous
deciduous climber found on Tokyo's riverbanks, forest edges, and waste
ground. Its calling card is the autumn fruit cluster — same vine, same
panicle, but berries cycle through cream, lilac, turquoise and violet
as they ripen. Galls caused by host-specific midges (Asphondylia spp.)
are common and harmless; they are part of how botanists distinguish it
from cultivated grapes. Strong, drought-tolerant, and largely
pest-indifferent. Cut back hard once a year to keep within bounds.
Berries are bitter to humans — observation, not snack.
Usage
Fence, pergola, or large trellis; useful summer shade. In small gardens,
a 25 L container against a wall-mounted trellis works. Note:
A. glandulosa is invasive in parts of North America — plant
only where it is native.
Practical info
| Native | Yes |
|---|---|
| Edible | No |
| Wildlife value | high |
| Attracts |
|
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Sources
Primary references, publications, and observation data this page draws on. How sources are picked is described in About the data .
- 日本生態学会 — Ampelopsis glandulosa 分布資料
- 牧野日本植物図鑑（標準和名 ノブドウ） — Reference work; not online-linkable.
- Catalog editor (niwa, 2026-05)