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The grape is usually a woody vine, climbing by means of tendrils (modified branches) and when untrained often reaching a length of 17 metres (56 feet) or more. In arid regions it may form an almost erect shrub. The edible leaves are alternate, palmately lobed, and always tooth-edged. Small greenish flowers, in clusters, precede the fruit, which varies in colour from almost black to green, red, and amber. Botanically, the fruit is a berry, more or less globular, within the juicy pulp of which lie the seeds. In many varieties the fruit develops a whitish powdery coating, or bloom.