Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
Photo by: Roger Hammer, Dade Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

American wisteria

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Wisteria frutescens

Family:

Fabaceae (Leguminosae)

Plant Specifics

Form:

vine

Size:

15-30 ft tall by 4-8 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white,purple,lavender

Fruit Color:

Phenology:

Deciduous. Blooms mid-spring to summer.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Good trellis, post or fence vine. It's a legume, so it can grow in poor soils, but blooms much better with a richer soil mixture.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales

Propagation:

Bare root, container, seed (It can take years before a seedling will mature enough to bloom.)

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

Coming Soon!

Usually moist, occasional inundation ---to--- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Loam

Soil pH:

Slightly acidic to neutral

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies, Caterpillars

Attracts pollinators.





Larval host for silver spotted skipper ( Epargyreus clarus ) and long-tailer skipper ( Urbanus proteus ).

Foliage palatable to deer.

Native Habitats:

Floodplains, gum swamps, upland thickets.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Less aggressive growth than similar Asian species. Blooms only on new wood. At least one cultivar has white flowers.