Wisteria sinensis
Wisteria ×formosa
Chinese wisteria
wisteria
twining counterclockwise.
usually twining counter-clockwise, rarely clockwise.
leaflets (7 or)9 or 11(or 13), blades ovate-elliptic to obovate, 9 × 3.5 cm.
leaflets (7 or)9–13(or 15), blades oblong-elliptic, 8.2 × 3.3 cm.
to 33 cm;
anthesis ± simultaneous.
to 36 cm;
anthesis gradually acropetal.
to 3 cm.
to 2.8 cm.
appearing before leaves, unscented;
calyx middle lobe of abaxial lip to 6 mm;
corolla azure, purple, rose, or white, 2–2.5 cm;
banner 2.1–2.4 × 2.1–2.3 cm, reflexed at base, apex rounded, auricles of basal callosity 0.7–0.8 mm;
wings 1.7–1.8 × 0.7 cm;
keel 1.7–1.8 × 0.7–0.8 cm;
ovary pubescent.
appearing with or after leaves, pleasantly scented;
calyx middle lobe of abaxial lip to 5 mm;
corolla azure, purple, or white, 1.5– 2 cm;
banner 1.6–1.8 × 1.6–1.8 cm, reflexed at base, apex rounded, auricles of basal callosity 0.7–0.8 mm;
wings 1.7–1.8 × 0.8–0.9 cm;
keel 1.5–1.6 × 0.7–0.8 cm;
ovary pubescent.
flattened, oblong-elliptic or oblanceolate, 8–21 cm, tardily dehiscent, pubescent, endocarp readily separable from exocarp.
flattened, oblong-elliptic or oblanceolate, 6–9.5 cm, tardily dehiscent, pubescent, endocarp readily separable from exocarp.
flat, lenticular.
flat, lenticular.
= 32.
Wisteria sinensis
Wisteria ×formosa
Wisteria sinensis is native to China, where it is common in moist, deciduous forests and riparian habitats from near sea level to 1000 m. Extensively cultivated as an ornamental in China, it is also a popular introduction in the eastern United States. In the flora area, it has become invasive, naturalizing readily in habitats similar to its native environs.
Petals of Wisteria sinensis are a delicacy in China, where they are eaten steamed or fried (D. Wyman 1949).
Wisteria sinensis differs from W. floribunda in having fewer leaflets per leaf (typically 9–11 versus 13–17 in W. floribunda) and in the counterclockwise (versus clockwise) twining of the stem.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Wisteria × formosa originated spontaneously about 1905 at Holm Lea, the 150-acre estate owned by botanist Charles Sprague Sargent in Brookline, Massachusetts. The hybrid grew from seed borne by a white-petaled plant of W. floribunda; the pollen parent was assumed to have been W. sinensis, which was also cultivated on the estate. As an ornamental, it is regarded as superior to both parents, with large, fragrant flowers, and sequential anthesis combined with precocious blooming of W. sinensis (A. J. Rehder 1922).
Wisteria ×formosa has been a source of confusion for botanists. Although D. Wyman (1949, 1969, 1977) indicated that it is more common in American horticulture than either parent, no major North American flora has included it in its keys and descriptions. As a result, its existence in the spontaneous flora of the continent has gone unrecognized. For example, D. Isely (1990) experienced difficulty in attempting to discriminate W. floribunda from W. sinensis in the southeastern United States. The lack of consistent character-state correlations he noted is exactly what would be seen if much of the studied material was actually W. × formosa, as was borne out by molecular studies of weedy Wisteria in the southeastern United States (J. L. Trusty et al. 2007).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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