Wisteria floribunda

Wisteria floribunda, common name , is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to Japan. (Wisteriopsis japonica, synonym Wisteria japonica, is a different species.) Growing to , Wisteria floribunda is a woody, deciduous twining climber. It was first brought from Japan to the United States in the 1830s. It is a common subject for bonsai, along with Wisteria sinensis (Chinese wisteria).

Japanese wisteria sports the longest flower racemes of any wisteria; Some of those cultivars can reach in length. that are each long. It also bears poisonous, brown, velvety, bean-like seed pods long that mature in summer and persist until winter. Japanese wisteria prefers moist soils and full sun in USDA plant hardiness zones 5–9. The plant often lives over 50 years.

Cultivars

thumb|upright=1.1|Racemes of grown to about to in length.

Those marked have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

'Burford' – pale violet with purple keel
'Domino' – pale lilac
or 'Rosea' – pale rose flowers tipped purple, long
' Perfect' – light lavender flowers
or 'Royal Purple' – dark blue or violet flowers, lightly scented, long clustered bunches, long
'Jako' or 'Ivory Tower'
'Kimono'
– violet, scented
or 'Carnea' – pink flower
'Lawrence' – pale violet flowers, deeper violet keel and wings
'Longissima – mauve-purple flowers on a raceme up to or even in length. means '9 ', referring to an archaic Japanese unit of measurement; in the International System of Units, 9 translates to a length of . The origin of this cultivar is a 1200 year-old wisteria tree in Ushijima, Kasukabe City, which had racemes about long in the Meiji period. Also known as or .
'Macrobotrys' or 'Longissima' – reddish-violet flower clusters or longer
'Macrobotrys Cascade' – white and pinkish-purple flowers, vigorous grower
'Nana Richins Purple' – purple flowers
– variegated foliage
'Plena' or 'Violaceae Plena' – double blue flowers in dense clusters
'Praecox' or 'Domino' – purple flowers
'Purpurea' – unknown; may be Wisteria sinensis 'Consequa', sometimes labeled purpurea
'Rubra' – unknown; may be 'Honbeni' – sometimes labeled as Rubrum – deep pink to red flowers
(W. floribunda f' alba) – long white flower clusters
'Texas Purple' – may be a sinensis or a hybrid, short racemes, purple flowers, produced while the plant is still young
'Violacea Plena' – double violet flowers, rosette-shaped
'White with Blue Eye' – also known as 'Sekines Blue' – very fragrant

Gallery

Wisteria floribunda2.jpg|Racemes with flower buds

Wisteria_floribunda8.jpg|Flowers

Wisteria floribunda MHNT.BOT.2008.1.38.jpg|Seeds

足利の藤 (Wisteria trellises in Ashikaga) 29 Apr, 2009 - panoramio.jpg|A great blossoms at in Ashikaga, Tochigi, Japan. The largest wisteria in Japan, it is dated to 1870 and covered approximately .

牛島の藤, 1200-year-old Wisteria floribunda tree at Tokaen in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture.jpg|, a 1,200-year-old tree designated as a by the Japanese government. The original tree of the cultivar 'Longissima Kyushaku'. Kasukabe, Saitama, Japan.

骨波田の藤, 650-year-old Wisteria floribunda tree at Chosenji Temple in Honjo, Saitama Prefecture.jpg|, a 650-year-old tree designated as a natural monument by Saitama Prefecture. Honjō, Saitama, Japan.

Japanese wisteria, Ashikaga Flower Park 4.jpg|Purple wisteria at Ashikaga Flower Park

Japanese wisteria, Ashikaga Flower Park 3.jpg|Purple wisteria at Ashikaga Flower Park

Japanese wisteria, Ashikaga Flower Park 7.jpg|White wisteria at Ashikaga Flower Park

Japanese wisteria, Ashikaga Flower Park 8.jpg|White wisteria at Ashikaga Flower Park

Japanese wisteria, Ashikaga Flower Park 9.jpg|Bridge of light pink wisteria at Ashikaga Flower Park

Japanese wisteria, Ashikaga Flower Park 10.jpg|Light pink wisteria at Ashikaga Flower Park

Japanese wisteria, Ashikaga Flower Park 11.jpg|Double flowered wisteria at Ashikaga Flower Park

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References

External links

Japanese Wisteria at MSU
Japanese Wisteria as a pest
University of Ohio fact sheet for Wisteria family