FNPS Plant Database

Wisteria frutescens

American wisteria

  • Photo by Roger Hammer, Dade Chapter

  • Photo by Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter

Photographs belong to the photographers who allow use for FNPS purposes only. Please contact the photographer for all other uses.

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 Plant Nurseries, Big Box Stores

Propagation:

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

Light:

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

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

--|----|----|----|---- <------------------------> ----|---|---|--

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:

Loam, Sand

Soil pH:

Slightly acidic to neutral

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Foliage palatable to deer.

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

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.

Citations:

Huegel, C. N. (2012). Native wildflowers and other ground covers for Florida landscapes. University Press of Florida.


Minno, M., & Minno, M. (1999). Florida butterfly gardening. University Press of Florida.


Tras, P. (2001). Gardening for Florida’s butterflies. Great Outdoors Publishing.


Wunderlin, R. P., Hansen, B. F., Franck, A. R., & Essig, F. B. (2021). Atlas of Florida plants. Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida. http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/

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