Everything about Wisteria totally explained
Wisteria is a
genus of about ten species of woody climbing
vines native to the eastern
United States and the East Asian states of
China,
Korea, and
Japan. Aquarists refer to the species
Hygrophila difformis, in the genus
Hygrophila, as
water Wisteria.
Wisteria vines climb by twining their
stems either
clockwise or
counter-clockwise round any available support. They can climb as high as 20
m above ground and spread out 10 m laterally. The world's largest known
Wisteria vine is located in
Sierra Madre, California, measuring more than an
acre in size and weighing 250 tons.
The
leaves are alternate, 15 to 35
cm long, pinnate, with 9 to 19 leaflets. The
flowers are produced in pendulous
racemes 10 to 80 cm long, similar to those of the genus
Laburnum, but are purple, violet, pink or white, not yellow. Flowering is in the spring (just before or as the leaves open) in some Asian species, and in mid to late summer in the American species and
W. japonica. The flowers of some species are fragrant, most notably Chinese Wisteria. The
seeds are produced in pods similar to those of laburnum, and, like that genus, are
poisonous.
The genus was named after Dr.
Caspar Wistar (
1761 -
1818), a professor of anatomy at the
University of Pennsylvania. As a consequence, the name is sometimes given as "
Wistaria", but the spelling
Wisteria is
conserved under the
International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.
Wisteria species are used as food plants by the
larvae of some
Lepidoptera species including
brown-tail. It is also an extremely popular ornament in
China and
Japan.
Cultivation
Wisteria, especially
Wisteria sinensis, is very hardy and fast-growing. It is considered an
invasive species in certain areas. It can grow in fairly poor-quality soils, but prefers fertile, moist, well-drained ones. It thrives in full sun to partial shade.
Wisteria can be propagated via hardwood cutting, softwood cuttings, or seed. However, seeded specimens can take decades to bloom; for that reason,
gardeners usually grow plants that have been started from rooted cuttings or grafted
cultivars known to flower well. Another reason for failure to bloom can be excessive fertilizer (particularly
nitrogen).
Wisteria has nitrogen fixing capability (provided by Rhizobia bacteria in root nodules), and thus mature plants may benefit from added
potassium and
phosphate, but not nitrogen. Finally,
wisteria can be reluctant to bloom because it hasn't reached maturity. Maturation may require only a few years, as in Kentucky Wisteria, or nearly twenty, as in Chinese Wisteria. Maturation can be forced by physically abusing the main
trunk, root pruning, or
drought stress.
Wisteria can grow into a mound when unsupported, but is at its best when allowed to clamber up a
tree,
pergola,
wall, or other supporting structure. Whatever the case, the support must be very sturdy, because old
wisteria can grow into immensely strong and heavy wrist-thick
trunks and
stems. These will certainly rend
latticework, crush thin wooden posts, and can even strangle large trees. Its pendulous racemes are best viewed from below.
Wisteria flowers develop in buds near the base of the previous year's growth, so
pruning back side shoots to the basal few buds in early spring can enhance the visibility of the flowers. If it's desired to control the size of the plant, the side shoots can be shortened to between 20 and 40 cm long in mid summer, and back to 10 to 20 cm in the fall. The flowers of some varieties are edible, and can even be used to make wine. Others are said to be toxic. Careful identification by an expert is strongly recommended before consuming this or any wild plant.
Species
Non-Wisteria species:
Hygrophila difformis - Water WisteriaFurther Information
Get more info on 'Wisteria'.
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