Wisteria sinensis Potted plants seed Chinese wisteria vine
LATIN NAME: Wisteria sinensis
COMMON NAME: Chinese Wisteria, Chinese Wistaria
The Chinese wisteria is one of the most spectacular flowering vines in the world, and its cascades of violet-blue bloom are a breathtaking sight of late spring. It grows as a large, twining, deciduous vine, reaching up to thirty metres, with bold, pinnate leaves and, in late spring, long, pendulous racemes of many pea-like flowers in soft violet-blue, so abundant that the vine appears to be draped in bloom, filling the air with fragrance, followed by the velvety pods. It is a native of China, growing in the provinces of Guangxi, Guizhou, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Shaanxi and Yunnan, and it is widely cultivated in temperate regions around the world, trained over pergolas, walls and arbors.
The Chinese wisteria belongs to the pea family, Fabaceae, and it is a species of flowering plant native to China. It is a deciduous vine growing up to thirty metres, and it is widely cultivated in temperate regions around the world, prized for its spectacular racemes of violet flower.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The Chinese wisteria has a genuine and growing place in both horticultural and botanical research. It has been studied in horticulture, since it is one of the most spectacular flowering vines of the temperate garden, prized for its long racemes of violet bloom, its fragrance and its long life, and researchers have examined its cultivation, its pruning and its training over pergolas and walls, while it is widely grown around the temperate world, and a number of varieties and forms have been selected. The vine has also been studied in botany, since it is a member of the pea family, and researchers have examined its classification and its relationships with the other wisterias, including the Japanese wisteria, while the genus Wisteria is of interest in the study of the legumes. The species has also been studied in ecology, since it is a native of the forests of China, and its vigorous growth has been examined. For a vine of such spectacular bloom, the Chinese wisteria has a rich and growing record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the Chinese wisteria is a generous vine of the late spring garden. Its violet flowers feed bees and other pollinators, and its dense, leafy growth gives shelter for birds, while it brings a cascade of bloom to the pergola and the wall.
Its economic value lies mainly in horticulture. It is one of the most valued of the flowering vines, prized for its spectacular bloom, and it is widely grown around the temperate world, trained over pergolas, walls and arbors, while its long life and its beauty have made it a staple of the garden nursery. For a grower, the Chinese wisteria is a spectacular and rewarding vine, and for a gardener it brings cascades of violet bloom each spring. The seeds are easy — nick them or soak them overnight, then sow them in a pot of moist, free-draining compost, keep them in a sunny spot and water them gently, and they’ll sprout within a few weeks, growing on into a vigorous vine that will reward you with bloom in time.
Use wisteria as a container specimen, even a bonsai, to control run away growth. It is also beautiful trained over an arbor, or espaliered against a building. The white variety, alba, is especially effective when in bloom, planted next to a pond where its beauty can be doubled by reflection. With constant pruning, wisteria can be trained to a small tree or bonsai-like specimen plant.
Wisteria is rampant; it can grow in full sun or heavy shade, in which case it will grow until it reaches a satisfactory level of light. It is not fussy about soil type or moisture, although its preference is a reasonably a moist, well drained, rich to average mix.
Light: Sun preferred.
