Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis (Sims) Sweet) is a vigorous climbing plant with showy purple flowers, and belongs to the Fabaceae family. The genus (Wisteria) was chosen in honour of the doctor Caspar Wistar, professor of anatomy at the University of Pennsylvania, and the specific epithet (sinensis) refers to the location of the species’ origin. The wisteria is native to China and appeared in Italy during the first half of the 1800s. It became rapidly widespread, particularly on pergolas. A similar species is also often cultivated, the Wisteria floribunda (Willd.) DC., and is often confused with the Wisteria sinensis. Hybrid varieties of the plant also exist.
