American Wisteria
Wisteria frutescens
- Native to:
- United States
Photo by David J. Stang
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Fabaceae
- Genus:
- Wisteria
- Species:
- Wisteria frutescens
- USDA Symbol:
- WIFR
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Vine
- Height:
- 1200 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun,Part Shade,Shade
- Drought Tolerance:
- Medium
- Bloom Months:
- apr,may,jun
- Bloom Colors:
- purple, lavender, blue
Wildlife Benefits
- Bees:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented bee visitation (GBIF)
- Butterflies & Moths:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented Lepidoptera association (GBIF)
- Caterpillars:
- ★★☆☆☆ Recorded caterpillar host plant (HOSTS Database)
Keystone Species Ranking
- Caterpillar Keystone:
- ★★☆☆☆ Butterfly & moth species supported by this genus (NWF)
Host Plant for Caterpillars
Blinded Sphinx (Paonias excaecata), Fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea), Io moth (Automeris io), Nephopterix subcaesiella, White-marked Tussock Moth (Orgyia leucostigma), Horace's Duskywing (Erynnis horatius), Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus), Zarucco Duskywing (Erynnis zarucco)
Reported Fauna Sightings
Bees: Brown-belted bumble bee (Bombus griseocollis) Butterflies:Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- bees, butterflies, hummingbirds
- Deer Resistant:
- Yes
- Fragrant:
- Yes
- Fall Color:
- yellow
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- rich, well-drained loamy soil
- pH:
- 6.0 - 7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- good drainage required
- Moisture:
- consistently moist
- Notes:
- Prefers fertile soils along riverbanks and floodplains
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- Cold/moist stratification required — 30–60 days
- Scarification:
- Seed coat scarification required before sowing
- Germination Time:
- 14–30 days
- Notes:
- Scarification of seed coat improves germination. Soaking in warm water for 24 hours can substitute for mechanical scarification.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI
Pre-treatment: Cold-moist stratification for 30 days at 1–5°C (34–41°F).; then Scarify, then cold-moist stratify for 60 days.
Notes: Seeds may benefit from scarification before stratification.
Source: Claude AI