Wisteria sp.
Family: Faboideae / Leguminosae / Papilionaceae
Chinese Wisteria, Japanese Wisteria, American Wisteria
Origin: China and Japan
Species: Wisteria sinensis, Wisteria floribunda, Wisteria frutescens, Wisteria macrostachya. Vigorous, showy, woody ornamental vines that can climb trees, apparently limited only by the height of the tree, and have been observed to reach 65 feet. Unlike American wisteria (Wisteria frutescens), which flowers June through August, exotic wisterias flower in the springtime (April-May) and produce a velvety seed pod. The fuzzy brown seed pods are 4-6 inches long, narrowed toward the base, with constrictions between the seeds. Stems of the exotic wisterias can grow to 15 inches in diameter in older plants. White-barked Japanese wisteria vines twine clockwise around the host plant and Chinese wisteria twines counter-clockwise. Fragrant, violet to blue-violet flowers, ½ to 1 inch long, occur in showy, pendulous clusters that hang gracefully from the twining stems. Exotic wisterias are long-lived, some vines surviving 50 years or more.
