Woody > Wisteria > Wisteria frutescens > Wisteria frutescens
Wisteria frutescens
American Wisteria
Origin: Eastern United States. Genus named for Caspar Wistar (1761 - 1818), Professor of Anatomy at the University of Pennsylvania.
| Family |
| Fabaceae |
| Genus |
| Wisteria |
| Species |
| frutescens |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Vine |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 5 - 9 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 4a - 8a |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H3 - H7 |
| Temperature (°C) |
| -29 - (-1) |
| Temperature (°F) |
| -20 - 30 |
| Height |
| 4.5 - 12 m |
| Spread |
| 1.2 - 2.4 m |
Photographs
Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| Wisteria frutescens or American Wisteria is an elegantly clockwise-winding, deciduous, woody vine with beautiful, fragrant, purple flowers. |
| Landscape |
| Perfect for archways, freestanding frames, any column or post, trellis, fence, wall, patio or veranda. |
| Cultivation |
| Plant in full sun in deep, moist, well-drained, humusy, moderately fertile, lightly acidic soil. Young vines should be trained. Regular, proper pruning will promote flowering and control size and shape. Aversion to transplanting. |
| Pests |
| No serious pests or diseases to note. Susceptible to a number of insignificant leaf-chewing insects and fungal diseases. |
| Habitat |
| Characteristically damp: swampy woods, moist thickets, stream borders and pond peripheries. |
| Leaf Description |
| Dark green, compound, 20 - 30 cm, odd pinnate, each with 9 - 15 oval-lanceolate leaflets 3 - 6 cm. |
| Flower Description |
| Showy, gently fragrant, pale purple-lilac, pea-like, up to 2 cm, in drooping racemes up to 15 cm long. Death of buds over winter, insufficient sun, over-fertilization or incorrectly pruned vines may result in a lack of flowers. Young vines, especially seed grown, may take more than 3 years or more to flower. Some flowering may occur in summer. |
| Fruit Description |
| Smooth, compressed, narrow seed pods, 5 - 10 cm long, develop from flowers. Ripen in summer and break open in autumn. |
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