It grows in a variety of habitats including riparian zones and shady canyons.

[5] Arizona grape is found in California (Inyo County), Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, western Texas, southern Utah, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, and Tamaulipas.

[6][7][8] Form: Vine General: Woody vine, sprawling or weakly climbing; stems generally 2–6 m long; the young twigs densely woolly, but losing this over time and the bark becoming shreddy.

Leaves: Winter deciduous; broadly cordate, 3–10 cm long and about as wide, irregularly toothed and sometimes shallowly 3-lobed, more-or-less cottony hairy; petiole 1–3 cm long; tendrils opposite the leaves, bifurcate, lacking adhesive discs, withering quickly if not attached to something.

Fully developed leaves resemble a three-lobed heart shape and generally grow to an average of 4 inches long/wide.

[5] Both Native Americans and early European settlers would chew on grape leaves to quench their thirst.