diff --git a/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-14/src/ReactFourteenAdapter.js b/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-14/src/ReactFourteenAdapter.js
index 4316855f5..68a2d9836 100644
--- a/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-14/src/ReactFourteenAdapter.js
+++ b/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-14/src/ReactFourteenAdapter.js
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ class ReactFourteenAdapter extends EnzymeAdapter {
             wrappingComponentProps: options.wrappingComponentProps,
             props,
             context,
-            ...(ref && { ref }),
+            ...(ref && { refProp: ref }),
           };
           const ReactWrapperComponent = createMountWrapper(el, { ...options, adapter });
           const wrappedEl = React.createElement(ReactWrapperComponent, wrapperProps);
diff --git a/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-15.4/src/ReactFifteenFourAdapter.js b/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-15.4/src/ReactFifteenFourAdapter.js
index 069ee0404..9c239d0b4 100644
--- a/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-15.4/src/ReactFifteenFourAdapter.js
+++ b/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-15.4/src/ReactFifteenFourAdapter.js
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ class ReactFifteenFourAdapter extends EnzymeAdapter {
             wrappingComponentProps: options.wrappingComponentProps,
             props,
             context,
-            ...(ref && { ref }),
+            ...(ref && { refProp: ref }),
           };
           const ReactWrapperComponent = createMountWrapper(el, { ...options, adapter });
           const wrappedEl = React.createElement(ReactWrapperComponent, wrapperProps);
diff --git a/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-15/src/ReactFifteenAdapter.js b/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-15/src/ReactFifteenAdapter.js
index 0efd3ae69..1cac48bec 100644
--- a/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-15/src/ReactFifteenAdapter.js
+++ b/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-15/src/ReactFifteenAdapter.js
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ class ReactFifteenAdapter extends EnzymeAdapter {
             wrappingComponentProps: options.wrappingComponentProps,
             props,
             context,
-            ...(ref && { ref }),
+            ...(ref && { refProp: ref }),
           };
           const ReactWrapperComponent = createMountWrapper(el, { ...options, adapter });
           const wrappedEl = React.createElement(ReactWrapperComponent, wrapperProps);
diff --git a/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-16.1/src/ReactSixteenOneAdapter.js b/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-16.1/src/ReactSixteenOneAdapter.js
index 186f09b4d..ce7ede8f0 100644
--- a/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-16.1/src/ReactSixteenOneAdapter.js
+++ b/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-16.1/src/ReactSixteenOneAdapter.js
@@ -278,7 +278,7 @@ class ReactSixteenOneAdapter extends EnzymeAdapter {
             props,
             wrappingComponentProps,
             context,
-            ...(ref && { ref }),
+            ...(ref && { refProp: ref }),
           };
           const ReactWrapperComponent = createMountWrapper(el, { ...options, adapter });
           const wrappedEl = React.createElement(ReactWrapperComponent, wrapperProps);
diff --git a/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-16.2/src/ReactSixteenTwoAdapter.js b/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-16.2/src/ReactSixteenTwoAdapter.js
index 16554555f..1c0fe065e 100644
--- a/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-16.2/src/ReactSixteenTwoAdapter.js
+++ b/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-16.2/src/ReactSixteenTwoAdapter.js
@@ -280,7 +280,7 @@ class ReactSixteenTwoAdapter extends EnzymeAdapter {
             props,
             wrappingComponentProps,
             context,
-            ...(ref && { ref }),
+            ...(ref && { refProp: ref }),
           };
           const ReactWrapperComponent = createMountWrapper(el, { ...options, adapter });
           const wrappedEl = React.createElement(ReactWrapperComponent, wrapperProps);
diff --git a/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-16.3/src/ReactSixteenThreeAdapter.js b/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-16.3/src/ReactSixteenThreeAdapter.js
index 7da9142bd..fc6259fce 100644
--- a/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-16.3/src/ReactSixteenThreeAdapter.js
+++ b/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-16.3/src/ReactSixteenThreeAdapter.js
@@ -299,7 +299,7 @@ class ReactSixteenThreeAdapter extends EnzymeAdapter {
             props,
             wrappingComponentProps,
             context,
-            ...(ref && { ref }),
+            ...(ref && { refProp: ref }),
           };
           const ReactWrapperComponent = createMountWrapper(el, { ...options, adapter });
           const wrappedEl = React.createElement(ReactWrapperComponent, wrapperProps);
diff --git a/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-16/src/ReactSixteenAdapter.js b/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-16/src/ReactSixteenAdapter.js
index 9fff69198..ef053a41a 100644
--- a/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-16/src/ReactSixteenAdapter.js
+++ b/packages/enzyme-adapter-react-16/src/ReactSixteenAdapter.js
@@ -421,7 +421,7 @@ class ReactSixteenAdapter extends EnzymeAdapter {
               props,
               wrappingComponentProps,
               context,
-              ...(ref && { ref }),
+              ...(ref && { refProp: ref }),
             };
             const ReactWrapperComponent = createMountWrapper(el, { ...options, adapter });
             const wrappedEl = React.createElement(ReactWrapperComponent, wrapperProps);
diff --git a/packages/enzyme-adapter-utils/src/createMountWrapper.jsx b/packages/enzyme-adapter-utils/src/createMountWrapper.jsx
index 7cc58117c..884f0d9ef 100644
--- a/packages/enzyme-adapter-utils/src/createMountWrapper.jsx
+++ b/packages/enzyme-adapter-utils/src/createMountWrapper.jsx
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import React from 'react';
 import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
+import { ref } from 'airbnb-prop-types';
 import RootFinder from './RootFinder';
 
 /* eslint react/forbid-prop-types: 0 */
@@ -68,11 +69,11 @@ export default function createMountWrapper(node, options = {}) {
     }
 
     render() {
-      const { Component } = this.props;
+      const { Component, refProp } = this.props;
       const { mount, props, wrappingComponentProps } = this.state;
       if (!mount) return null;
       // eslint-disable-next-line react/jsx-props-no-spreading
-      const component = <Component {...props} />;
+      const component = <Component ref={refProp} {...props} />;
       if (WrappingComponent) {
         return (
           // eslint-disable-next-line react/jsx-props-no-spreading
@@ -86,11 +87,13 @@ export default function createMountWrapper(node, options = {}) {
   }
   WrapperComponent.propTypes = {
     Component: makeValidElementType(adapter).isRequired,
+    refProp: PropTypes.oneOfType([PropTypes.string, ref()]),
     props: PropTypes.object.isRequired,
     wrappingComponentProps: PropTypes.object,
     context: PropTypes.object,
   };
   WrapperComponent.defaultProps = {
+    refProp: null,
     context: null,
     wrappingComponentProps: null,
   };
diff --git a/packages/enzyme-test-suite/test/ReactWrapper-spec.jsx b/packages/enzyme-test-suite/test/ReactWrapper-spec.jsx
index 7f7e73894..fb246711b 100644
--- a/packages/enzyme-test-suite/test/ReactWrapper-spec.jsx
+++ b/packages/enzyme-test-suite/test/ReactWrapper-spec.jsx
@@ -104,10 +104,44 @@ describeWithDOM('mount', () => {
 </div>`);
     });
 
-    it('calls ref', () => {
-      const spy = sinon.spy();
-      mount(<div ref={spy} />);
-      expect(spy).to.have.property('callCount', 1);
+    describeWithDOM('refs', () => {
+      it('calls ref', () => {
+        const spy = sinon.spy();
+        mount(<div ref={spy} />);
+        expect(spy).to.have.property('callCount', 1);
+      });
+
+      /* global HTMLElement */
+
+      itIf(is('> 0.13'), 'passes an HTML element to `ref` when root rendered', () => {
+        const spy = sinon.spy();
+        mount(<div ref={spy} />);
+        expect(spy).to.have.property('callCount', 1);
+
+        // sanity check
+        expect(document.createElement('div')).to.be.instanceOf(HTMLElement);
+
+        const [[firstArg]] = spy.args;
+        console.log(firstArg);
+        expect(firstArg).to.be.instanceOf(HTMLElement);
+      });
+
+      itIf(is('> 0.13'), 'passes an HTML element to `ref` when sub-rendered', () => {
+        const spy = sinon.spy();
+        class Foo extends React.Component {
+          render() {
+            return <div ref={spy} />;
+          }
+        }
+        mount(<Foo />);
+        expect(spy).to.have.property('callCount', 1);
+
+        // sanity check
+        expect(document.createElement('div')).to.be.instanceOf(HTMLElement);
+
+        const [[firstArg]] = spy.args;
+        expect(firstArg).to.be.instanceOf(HTMLElement);
+      });
     });
 
     describe('wrapping invalid elements', () => {