Description
Black Beauty is a name used for more than one grape. In the University of California records it is a synonym of Beauty Seedless, a black seedless table grape bred by Harold Olmo at UC Davis and released in 1954. Two other American grapes carry the same name: a black labrusca-type variety selected by L. A. Richards in 1940, and a black, seeded muscadine bred by W. G. Ison of Ison's Nursery. Until the vines behind this page are identified, we keep the description short.
Characteristics
Black table grape; name shared by at least three American varieties; in Californian usage a synonym of Beauty Seedless (seedless, European type); also a seeded muscadine with female flowers and an older labrusca-type grape
Growing Tips
Because different vines are sold as Black Beauty, ask the nursery which one you are buying before you plant. Beauty Seedless is a European-type grape, while the Ison Black Beauty is a muscadine with female flowers that needs a pollinating variety flowering nearby, so the two need quite different care.