Japanese Wisteria
Wisteria floribunda
Bean family (Fabaceae)
Fragrant rain
An unusual beauty: long pendulous racemes of flowers appear in May and June as light purple sprays of 'blue rain’. In Japan this species is called 'Fuji', after the mountain, and is found in moist woods and along ravines.
The genus name Wisteria was given in honour of the American professor, Caspar Wistar (1761-1818). All wisteria varieties have fragrant flowers. In the evening the perfume is at its strongest in order to lure moths in for pollination. There are also white, pink, dark purple and blue varieties.
During hot summers – as with most legumes – seed pods form that are similar in appearance to broad beans but they are poisonous, especially the seeds. Wisterias are strong climbers and can easily reach the tops of tall trees. They live for up to 350 years.
Themes
Crown jewel in the Leiden Botanic Garden and Overzee Botanic Garden.
All Wisterias have fragrant flowers - especially in the evening.
The seed of all members of this genus is poisonous.
Wisteria actually has an older name 'glycine', ancient Greek for 'sweet plant' - this name is still used in Italy, Spain and France.
Details
| Description: | Woody climber, 9 m high. |
|---|---|
| Distributions: | Japan |
| Habitat: | Damp woodland and on the banks of streams in all areas of japan, south of hokkaido. |
| Year cycle: | Perennial (polycarpic decidous) |
| Hardiness: | 5 - 14 f (hardy - cold winter) |
| Flowering period: | April - juni |
| Flower color: | White, pink, blue, purple |
| Notes on flowers: | Flowers white, pink, blue, or dark purple in racemes of 30 cm or longer. |
| Fruiting period: | September - oktober |
| Fruit color: | Brown |
| Notes on fruits: | Brown pods; brown seed |
| At its best: | April - juni |