Genetic Composition of the Ornamental Grape Roger’s Red

Abstract

Roger’s Red is an ornamental grape cultivar prized for its scarlet-red fall foliage. It was selected from the wild in Northern California and has been considered a variant of the native Vitis californica. Roger’s Red has red fruit flesh and juice, traits not characteristic of V. californica. Analysis of 11 simple sequence repeat markers showed that Roger’s Red is a hybrid of V. californica and the V. vinifera cultivar Alicante Bouschet. Alicante Bouschet, a teinturier cultivar, has red fruit flesh and juice and has a long history of cultivation in the area where Roger’s Red was first selected.