| Chinese wisteria |
USDA PLANTS Symbol: WISI USDA ARS GRIN: 42050 ITIS: 27023 |
| Wisteria sinensis (Sims) DC. | |
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Taxonomic Rank: Magnoliopsida: Fabales: Fabaceae (Leguminosae) |
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Chinese wisteria is a deciduous woody vine capable of growing to a height of 40 ft. (12.2 m). Stems can be up to 10 in. (25.4 cm) in diameter with smooth, gray-brown bark. Alternate, pinnately compound (7-13 leaflets) leaves are tapered at the tip with wavy edges. Leaflets are approximately 3 in. (7.6 cm) in length. Lavender, purple or white flowers are fragrant, very showy and abundant and occur in long, dangling clusters in the spring. Seeds are contained in flattened, hairy, 6 in. (15.2 cm) long, bean-like pods. Invasions often occur around previous plantings. Chinese wisteria can displace native vegetation and kill trees and shrubs by girdling them. The vine has the ability to change the structure of a forest by killing trees and altering the light availability to the forest floor. A native of China, it was first introduced into the United States in 1816 for ornamental purposes. |
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Identification, Biology, Control and Management Resources
- Invasive Species Management Plans for Florida - University of Florida - Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants
- Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service
- Weeds Gone Wild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas - Plant Conservation Alliance
- Florida National Forests Invasive Plant Series - USDA Forest Service
- Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas - National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Nonnative Invasive Plants of Southern Forests - USDA Forest Service
- Fact Sheet - Pennsylvania Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources
| Selected Images from Invasive.org | View All Images at Invasive.org |
 Plant(s); Nancy Fraley, USDI National Park Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Foliage; May James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Flower(s); Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Flower(s); Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Flower(s); Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Flower(s); James R. Allison, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Fruit(s); September Ted Bodner, Southern Weed Science Society, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Seed(s); Steve Hurst, USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Damage; Vines girdling pine Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Feature(s); Stems Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Plant(s); Large vine climbing up a tree Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Flower(s); Chinese Wisteria in Loblobby Pines Randy Westbrooks, U.S. Geological Survey, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Infestation; David J. Moorhead, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Infestation; Chuck Bargeron, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
Taxonomic References:
- USDA, NRCS. 2001. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.1, National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.
Invasive Listing Sources:
- Eric Ulaszek, U.S. Forest Service, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, Illinois
- Faith Campbell, 1998. Plants that Hog the Garden: Invasive Plants in the United States. Fine Gardening Online
- Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007
- John Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Survey of TNC Preserves, 1995.
- Maryland Cooperative Extension Service. 2003. Invasive Plant Control in Maryland. Home and Garden Information Center, Home and Garden Mimeo HG88. 4 pp.
- Maryland Department of Natural Resources, 1994
- Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2005
- New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Division of Plant Industry, 2004
- Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
- North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 1998
- Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust, Pennsylvania.
- Reichard, Sarah. 1994. Assessing the potential of invasiveness in woody plants introduced in North America. University of Washington Ph.D. dissertation.
- University of Hawaii, Botany Department, Hawaiian Alien Plant Studies, 1998
- Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, 1999.
- WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States
- Alabama Invasive Plant Council
- Alachua County Cogongrass Initiative
- Apalachicola Invasive Working Group
- Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Category II
- Treasure Coast Cooperative Invasive Species Mgmt. Area - EARLY DRAFT
- Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council Category 1
- South Carolina Exotic Pest Plant Council Severe Threat
- Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council Significant Threat
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