Native Plants
![](../_images/smarty_plants.gif)
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
![](../_images/mr_smarty_plants_logo_web_200w.jpg)
rate this answer
![](../_images/star_00.gif)
Friday - September 12, 2014
From: Round Rock, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Invasive Plants, Non-Natives, Plant Identification, Vines
Title: Difference between invasive Chinese and Japanese wisterias and native wisteria
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Dear Mr or Ms Smarty Plants, Is there any way I can tell for sure if my wisteria is native? I bought it at a place when it was in bloom that sold a lot of native plants. I Would like to know for sure before starting a cutting for the backyard. I've had it for about 15plus years, some leaves get chlorotic in our Round Round soil in the summer time ( or is it just from drought?) it blooms sporadically during the hot summer, but it is not what I would call easy to control. The American native gets up to 39feet tall and this one has scrambled easily that high to the tops of our trees and again after pruning. I've never seen it sprout from roots, though it's seeds do sprout and I pull those up. It does twine counterclockwise like the Chinese variety. Any help appreciated.ANSWER:
This page from Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas tells the difference between the two invasives, Wisteria sinensis (Chinese wisteria) and Wisteria floribunda (Japanese wisteria) and the differences between those two and the native Wisteria frutescens (American wisteria). The article says: "Wisteria frutescens is not an aggressive grower and has glabrous fruits and more or less cylindrical, bean-shaped seeds." That is, W. sinensis (Chinese wisteria) and W. floribunda (Japanese) have fuzzy seed pods; whereas, W. frutescens (American wisteria) has smooth seed pods.
Here is another take on the differences from The Citrus Guy, a Certified Professional Nurseryman and Charleston County Master Gardener from South Carolina citing the seed pod fuzziness for the invasives and the seed pod smoothness for the native wisteria and with other more subtle differences as well.
From the Image Gallery
More Plant Identification Questions
Plant identification
December 17, 2009 - For a few weeks now the front of our school has had an on and off smell that to some was like a dead animal. To others it smelled like dirty fish fry oil. Maintenance people came out and found the sou...
view the full question and answer
Information about native aconitum
February 27, 2008 - There was a picture of a plant in our local newspaper this past week. In the photo ID they called this plant an aconite, a member of the buttercup family. My questions are: is there such a plant? is i...
view the full question and answer
A stinging plant in Moultrie, GA?
April 28, 2010 - Mr. Smarty Plants,
I was walking along in my lawn in some flip-flops and my foot barely grazed my ankle. As soon as it had happened, I felt this horrible pain, like a million tiny, invisible splinter...
view the full question and answer
Plant identification, possibly Phytolacca americana (American pokeweed)
August 20, 2010 - I have a patch of plants I can't find what they are, could you help? The plant is a tuber (resembles a carrot when it is small), the stalk is red and fibrous, comes back each year bigger, has green ...
view the full question and answer
Photo identification from Sun Tan Valley AZ
June 29, 2013 - I just tried sending y'all some photos of a plant I'd like to identify. The email address failed. Please let me know how I can get these 3 photos sent.
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |