How do I tell the different species of wisteria apart? Look at the direction the vines twist around their support structure. If they turn counterclockwise, you are growing Chinese wisteria or one of the American varieties. Japanese wisteria always grows clockwise. Also look at the seedpods.

How can you tell the difference between American and Chinese wisteria?

American Wisteria Is the Native Choice

The easiest way to identify American wisteria is by the blooms. While Asian species have elongated blossoms with loose dripping petals, the blooms of American wisteria are shorter, rounder, and more compact (rather pinecone shaped).

What is the difference between a Wisteria tree and a Wisteria vine?

Sue, Wisteria is a woody vine. A wisteria ‘tree’ is simply wisteria trained to a standard, or tree-like form.

How many varieties of Wisteria are there?

Wisteria is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae (Leguminosae), that includes ten species of woody twining vines that are native to China, Korea, Japan, Southern Canada, the Eastern United States, and north of Iran.

How can you tell Japanese wisteria?

Vegetative Growth

Chinese and Japanese wisterias have some distinguishing vegetative differences. Chinese wisteria twines counterclockwise while Japanese wisteria twines clockwise. Leaves on Chinese wisteria can have 7–13 leaflets, although usually 11, while leaflets on Japanese wisteria range from 13 to 19.

Which is better Chinese or Japanese wisteria?

The main difference between Japanese and Chinese Wisteria is that Japanese Wisteria twines clockwise around the host plant and the Chinese Wisteria twines counter-clockwise around the host plant. Also, Japanese Wisteria flowers are more fragrant and more prominent than the Chinese Wisteria flowers.

Which wisteria is most fragrant?

The most fragrant cultivars are Wisteria brachybotrys ‘Murasaki Kapitan’, which smells very sweet, and Wisteria brachybotyrs ‘Shiro Kapitan’. Two of my favourites are Wisteria floribunda ‘Kuchi Beni’, a Japanese wisteria noted for its beautiful scent in spring.

What does wisteria tree look like?

About Wisteria

Wisteria is a long-lived vining plant with cascades of blue to purple flowers that look spectacular hanging from a pergola or archway in spring and early summer. After flowering, a brown, bean-like pod stays on the plant until winter. Blooms only appear on new growth.

Does a wisteria tree need a trellis?

Wisteria is an aggressive climber and needs very sturdy supports to grow without collapsing their trellis or pergola. Be aware that wisteria vines will grow into any crack or crevice so be very careful planting it near or onto your home. And be aware that once established, wisteria can be very difficult to remove.

Can you train a wisteria vine into a tree?

It’s really, all wisterias can be trained into a tree form and when you buy them most of the tree types will be already trained into a longer chute, with some branching at the top. So normally they’ll be about three, three and a half feet.

What type of wisteria should I buy?

Most Wisteria floribunda display attractive fall colors, but ‘Violacea Plena’ is by far the best with its foliage turning butter-yellow. A few other cultivars are also displaying remarkable fall colors such as ‘Rosea’, ‘Kuchi-Beni’, ‘Lawrence’, ‘Macrobothrys’ or ‘Royal Purple’.

Which is the bluest wisteria?

Wisteria brachybotrys ‘Murasaki-Kapitan’ (Silky Wisteria)

long (20 cm), packed with 35-47, pea-like, blue-violet flowers. Blooming in late spring or early summer, they produce a dramatic floral display.

Which wisteria grows fastest?

Chinese Wisteria

This is the second variety of wisteria to appear on our list of the fastest growing climbing plants. Wisteria sinensis, also known as Chinese wisteria, is a deciduous perennial plant which grows very quickly. Such is the speed and spread of its growth sinensis could be classed as invasive.

Is Japanese Wisteria invasive?

Japanese wisteria is found invasive in the mid-Atlantic and southeastern U.S., from New York to Florida and west to Texas. Wisteria prefers full sun, but established vines will persist and reproduce in partial shade.

Why is the Japanese Wisteria invasive?

When they escape gardens and establish in natural areas, exotic wisterias displace native vegetation. They kill mature trees by shading and strangling them with thick, heavy vines. The Maryland Department of Agriculture has classified these plants as Tier 2 Invasive.

Is there a non invasive wisteria?

For those of us who cannot afford a horticultural army, there is a happy alternative. Non-invasive wisteria. Meet Wisteria frutescens, a sedate alternative to Asian wisteria that is native to the southeastern United States.

What is Kentucky wisteria?

Kentucky Wisteria is a woody deciduous vine native to in the southeastern United States. It is very similar to the American Wisteria (Wisteria frutescens). Kentucky Wisteria bears unscented bluish-purple flowers in racemes 15-30 cm long (figure 1), a generally average length for the Wisteria family.

Is Blue Moon wisteria fragrant?

Wisteria macrostachya ‘Blue Moon’

Dependably blooms up to three times in a growing season once established, producing beautiful, foot-long racemes of fragrant, pea-like, lavender-blue flowers.

Is there pink wisteria?

Known for its intoxicating lavender and honey scented fragrance, pink wisteria is a strong-growing climber perfect for creating a spectacular performance on a trellis, fence, pergola or wall. Rose-pink blooms hang in 18-inch flower clusters from its twining vines and are extremely attractive to bees and butterflies.