Wisteria frutescens
Origin: Virginia
Improvement status: Unknown
Seeds per packet: ~10
BOTANICAL SAMPLE - NOT GERMINATION TESTED
Life cycle: Perennial
This is the increasingly rare native wisteria species, found along moist streambanks and in wet woods across most of the southeastern US, extending north to Iowa, Michigan, and New York. You may assume that the large stands of wisteria you may see lining various highways and byways across the country are American wisteria, but you'd be wrong. Most of the wisteria around these days are the non-native Chinese species. The telltale difference is the long trailing nature of the Chinese wisteria's racemes of fragrant purple (or pink or white) blossoms. The native species lacks the perfumey fragrance, only comes in purple, and has shorter racemes. It's still a gorgeous plant though, and it has all sorts of interactions with native insects and other species. And its flowers are also edible, making delicious and lovely fritters. The plant can make great indoor or outdoor bonsai too!
Our Virginia-grown seed comes from the good folks at Sheffield's Seeds in Locke, NY.
GROWING TIPS: Reliably hardy to Zone 6. No stratification required, but seeds will benefit from being soaked for 24 hours before planting.
