Vine vigorous and hardy, producing average to good crops, often subject to mildew. Canes long, numerous, thick, rather light brown; nodes slightly enlarged, usually flattened; internodes long to medium; diaphragm thick; pith nearly large; shoots glabrous, slightly pubescent; tendrils continuous, long, bifid.
Leaf-buds of average size, short, stout, conical to pointed, sometimes slightly compressed, open moderately early. Young leaves lightly tinged with rose-carmine on lower surface, strongly tinged along margin of upper surface. Leaves medium to large, thick; upper surface dark green, dull, moderately smooth; lower surface pale green, slightly pubescent; veins not distinct; lobes three when present, terminal lobe acute to acuminate; petiolar sinus nearly intermediate in depth and width; lateral sinus shallow to medium in depth and width; teeth of average depth, narrow. Flowers open somewhat late, sometimes on plan of six, sterile; stamens reflexed.
Fruit ripens somewhat unevenly about mid-season, keeps fairly well for a short time but deteriorates rapidly after ripening. Clusters very large to medium, usually long, broadish, tapering, often heavily shouldered, loose to compact; peduncle quite long; pedicel of average length, somewhat thick, covered with few indistinct warts, broad at point of attachment to berry; brush pale green with brown tinge, thick, short. Berries irregular, medium to rather large in size, roundish to slightly oval, light and dark red, somewhat glossy, covered with dark lilac bloom, handsome, persistent, not firm. Skin thickish, very tender, adheres considerably to the pulp, contains no pigment, astringent. Flesh greenish, rather transparent, tender, slightly stringy, melting, aromatic, vinous, sweet or agreeably tart to center of berry, very good in quality. Seeds separate easily, number one to five, average three or four, above mean size, rather broad and sharply pointed, light brown with yellow tinge; raphe shows as a narrow obscure groove; chalaza large, above center, irregularly circular, distinct.
BRILLIANT.
(Labrusca, Vinifera, Bourquiniana.)
1. An. Hort., 1889:101. 2. Rural N. Y., 49:602. 1890. fig. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1891:151, 159. 4. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1891:32. 5. Kan. Sta. Bul., 28:162. 1891. 6. Ill. Sta. Bul., 28:259. 1893. 7. N. Y. Sta. An. Rpt., 12:618. 1893. 8. Bush. Cat., 1894:96. fig. 9. Husmann, 1895:124. 10. Can. Hort., 18:3, 4, 58. 1895. fig. 11. Ga. Sta. Bul., 28:290. 1895. 12. Tenn. Sta. Bul., Vol. 9:170, 171, fig., 195. 1896. 13. Kan. Sta. Bul., 73:183. 1897. 14. Rural N. Y., 58:22. 1899. 15. Mo. Sta. Bul., 46:43, 48. 1899. 16. N. Y. Sta. An. Rpt., 18:396. 1899. 17. Tex. Sta. Bul., 56:275. 1900.
In Brilliant, one of Munson’s grapes, from Lindley crossed with Delaware, we have a fine red grape in which the characters of the two parents are so nearly equally combined that it cannot be said which it most resembles. In cluster and size of berry, Brilliant resembles Lindley; in color and quality of fruit it is about the same as Delaware, differing from it chiefly in having more astringency in the skin and therefore not quite equal to Delaware as a table grape. The vine is strong and hardy; season about with Delaware. Brilliant does not crack or shell and therefore ships well, and has very good keeping qualities, especially on the vine, where it will often hang for weeks. The defects which have kept it from becoming one of the standard commercial sorts in New York are: Marked susceptibility to fungi but not more susceptible than Delaware; variable in size of cluster; uneven in ripening; and lack of productiveness. Brilliant is well known by amateur grape-growers in New York and is grown somewhat for the market. All in all it is probably the best known and most widely grown of Munson’s varieties in this State. In favorable situations, this variety may always be expected to please the amateur, and the commercial grower will often find it a profitable sort.