Common Name: Chinese wisteria
Family: Fabaceae
Common Synonyms: none
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a-10a
Growth Habit: Woody vine
Origin: NA
FISC Category: 2
FDACS Listed Noxious Weed: No
Introduction Date: 1800s
IFAS Assessment:
Woody vine that is only limited in growth by the height of the plant that it climbs. Can grow up to 19 meters in length and have a diameter up to 38 cm. Stems are dark brown and twine around its host counter-clockwise. Leaves are pinnately compound, 10 to 40 cm long and are comprised of 23-29 oval shaped leaflets. Flowers are lavender colored and are arranged on 10 to 50 cm long hanging racemes. Flowers open from the base of the stem first, progressing up the stem. Fruits are pods with velvet-like texture and are 10-15 cm long. Seeds are poisonous.
Ruderal, old home sites, trash piles
Most infestations occur near homesites or trash piles where plants have escaped into the surrounding areas.
Important to note that when applying herbicides, vines should be pulled down from the host and not severed so that the herbicide can move throughout the plant. Best treatment time is during the active growing season in spring and summer.
IFAS, Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants. 2017. Wisteria sinensis. http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/plant-directory/wisteria-sinensis/ Accessed September 19, 2017.
IFAS, UF. 2017. Assessment of Non-Native Plants in Florida's Natural Areas. Wisteria sinensis. https://assessment.ifas.ufl.edu/assessments/wisteria-sinensis/ Accessed September 19, 2017.
Dave's Garden. 2017. PlantFiles. Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis). .http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/67511/Accessed September 19, 2017.