Wisteria brachybotrys
A fast-growing East Asian deciduous climber with silky, downy foliage and short, fragrant violet-lavender flower racemes, hardy to USDA zones 5–10 and to about -25°C when dormant, widely cultivated for its late-spring floral display.
Common Names
Silky Wisteria, Shira Fuji
Summary
Wisteria brachybotrys, Silky Wisteria, is a broadleaf deciduous climber native to East Asia, notably Japan, that twines anticlockwise and can reach 8–12 metres in height with a spread wider than 8 metres; its pinnate leaves carry 9–13 downy leaflets, and spring to early summer racemes of violet-blue to white flowers up to 3 cm long that are slightly fragrant, followed by velvety seedpods.
Cultivation prefers full sun to partial shade and moist, well-drained soil, tolerating chalk, clay, loam, or sand, and is hardy in UK hardiness rating H6, best on a south- or west-facing sheltered site; it can be trained into a large tree or grown along walls, arches or pergolas or as a free-standing half standard, with propagation by layering, softwood or hardwood cuttings, or grafting and pruning after flowering, making it suitable for cottage informal gardens, city or courtyard gardens, and wall-side borders.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
26.5-39.5 feet
Spread
3-30 feet
Hardiness Zones
Zones 5-9
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun, to partial shade.
Soil Type
Fertile, moist but well-drained soil
Soil Drainage
Well-drained soil.
Soil pH
No specific ideal pH, tolerates acidic, alkaline, or neutral soils.
Bloom Color
Purple to White
Bloom Time
Spring to early Summer
Foliage Color
Green
Fall Foliage Color
Green, Subdued Yellow
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Vigorous
Seasons of Interest
Spring and Summer
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Cuttings (softwood, hardwood, basal cuttings), Layering (spring layering), Division, Grafting
Attracts Wildlife
Bees and butterflies (sources)
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- Siebold & Zucc.
- Publication
- Fl. Jap. 1: 92 (1839)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Fabales
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Subfamily
- Papilionoideae
- Genus
- Wisteria
Synonyms
Wisteria brachybotrys var. alba Kraunhia brachybotrys Kraunhia sinensis var. brachybotrys Wisteria brachybotrys var. alba Phaseoloides brachybotrys Wisteria venusta Rehsonia venusta Rehsonia brachybotrys Wisteria brachybotrys var. alba Wisteria brachybotrys f. alba Wisteria brachybotrys f. albiflora Kraunhia sinensis f. albiflora Millettia floribunda var. brachybotrys Wisteria venusta f. plena Kraunhia floribunda var. brachybotrys Wisteria sinensis var. alba-plena Wisteria venusta f. violacea