Wisteria

Scientific

Wisteria (family Fabaceae) — like other legumes, the genus fixes atmospheric nitrogen through root-nodule symbiosis. The vines are woody, long-lived, and exceptionally vigorous; mature wisterias can support themselves on trellises and pergolas for over 100 years.

Principal cultivated species:

• Wisteria sinensis — Chinese wisteria; clockwise-twining stems; flowers open simultaneously
• Wisteria floribunda — Japanese wisteria; counter-clockwise-twining stems; flowers open sequentially down the long raceme; some named cultivars produce racemes 1.5+ m long
• Wisteria frutescens — American wisteria; native to eastern US; shorter racemes than the Asian species
• Wisteria macrostachya — Kentucky wisteria; closely related to frutescens

All parts of the plant are toxic if ingested — wisterin glycosides cause severe gastrointestinal distress. The species is also famously invasive in much of the United States, where Chinese and Japanese wisteria escape gardens and smother native vegetation.

Cultural

Wisteria has deep cultural significance in East Asian ornamental tradition. The Japanese fuji (藤) appears extensively in Heian-period poetry and Edo-period painting. Several Japanese imperial-family crests (kamon) feature wisteria; the Fujiwara clan — politically dominant for centuries — took its name from the plant.

The Ashikaga Flower Park’s “Great Miracle Wisteria” — a roughly 150-year-old single wisteria trained over an 80m wide pergola — is one of the most-visited natural attractions in Japan. The pergola wisteria-tunnel tradition (the fujidana) appears in countless Japanese gardens.

See also

Auto-generated from this entry’s typed relations: frontmatter, grouped by relation type so the editorial signal isn’t flattened.

• Shares approach with: [[kudzu]] · [[yuzu]] · [[tamarind]] · [[sweet-pea]] · [[soybean]] · [[shiitake]]
• Member of: [[plants]]

Sources

• Wikipedia — Wisteria

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A plant entry in the 0mn1.one [[directory]].