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Vitis Riparia (Riverbank grape) #923568

Asked January 13, 2026, 11:02 AM EST

Would Vitis Riparia be considered for any reason to be invasive in Colorado in the open space environment non garden/yard?

Arapahoe County Colorado

Expert Response

Hi Levi,

Thanks for reaching out to Ask Extension with your questions about Vitis Riparia.

This plant, the wild grape vine, is not listed as an invasive species for the state of Colorado. It is actually one of our native plant species. 

While this vine can be an aggressive spreader, it does not normally become a nuisance plant in our region and stays mostly in riparian areas along stream sides. If this was identified in an Open Space area, it would be best to monitor it to keep it from growing into and strangling/girdling nearby trees, but there normally wouldn't be any cause for it to become an invasive problem, especially with how dry most of our state is. I would be more worried about it taking over stream side trees and becoming a maintenance problem. 

Here is more information about this plant: https://coloradoplants.jeffco.us/plant/details/1035 

I hope this helps!

Dawn

Dawn Fradkin Replied January 14, 2026, 2:49 PM EST

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