The World's Largest Wisteria Vine and Its History
One of the Seven Horticultural Wonders of the World
The popular and showy wisteria vine was originally named Glycinia after the word "glykys," which is Greek for sweet. An American naturalist, Thomas Nuttall, renamed the wisteria in the 1800s to honor a renowned botanist at the University of Pennsylvania.
Even though the plant was named in honor of Professor Casper Wistar, his named was accidentally misspelled and the 'a' was replaced with an 'e'. The name was never changed, and wisteria has been the common and botanical name of this plant ever since.
The masterpiece wisteria vine growing in California is so large that it has received a place in the 'The Guinness Book of Records'. It has been named as "The largest blossoming plant in the world." This amazing wisteria vine is more than one acre in size and weighs 250 tons.
It has more than 1.5 million blossoms every year with 40 blooms per square foot. The branches of this unbelievable wisteria vine reach an amazing 500 feet long. Horticultural experts have estimated the branches can grow 24 inches in 24 hours.
The world's largest wisteria vine is a beautiful lavender Chinese variety. It was planted in 1894 by William and Alice Brugman. The couple bought the plant at a local nursery for 75 cents and planted it near their home. They eventually sold their home twenty years after planting the wisteria. H. T. Fennel bought the home and fell in love with the wisteria vine and began building arbors for it.
The wisteria vine continued growing and became too large for the supports erected by Mr. Fennel. The huge plant eventually began growing onto the house. The roof could not support the weight of the giant wisteria vine and finally the roof collapsed. The house was demolished in 1931. They built a new house close by. New supports kept being added for the wisteria and it was allowed to continue growing.
This extraordinary wisteria vine was honored with its first festival in 1918. This tradition has continued every year since. The festival has approximately 15,000 visitors each spring to celebrate the world's largest wisteria vine.
This magnificent antique wisteria vine has been named one of the seven horticultural wonders of the world. It takes an honorably place with the gardens of Buckingham Palace, the redwood forests of Sequoia National Park, Brazil's tropical jungle in the Amazon Valley, India's gardens of the Taj Mahal, Japan's Yokohama rockgardens, and Mexico's Xochimilco floating gardens.
Published by Donna Kay - Featured Contributor in Lifestyle
Donna Kay is an avid DIY home and garden enthusiast. She enjoys making a house feel beautiful, inviting and comfortable, but doing it all very inexpensively. As a long time homeowner, Donna has learned a thi... View profile
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- Best Wisteria Vine Seeds for Gardeners
- How to Effectively Prune and Control a Wisteria Vine
- How to Grow and Care for Your Wisteria Vine
- Tips on Growing a Wisteria Vine
- How to Prune Wisteria Vine
- Guide to Pruning Wisteria Vine
- Guide to Growing and Caring for Wisteria Vine
- www.sierramadrenews.net/wistaria.htm#archives (can view a partial picture of plant under year 2000 archive)
14 Comments
Post a Commenti bought 2 wisteria this spring chinese 2 ft tall japanese 5 ft they both had a couple old blooms when i planted them. i read up on them. whacked em with wire cutters a few weeks ago. about a month ago told my 6 yr old to mix a handfull of fertilizer that i had bought with a gallon of water and dump on each one. today is 7-16-2010 chinese one has 12 blooms starting. reblooming this year. I DIG IT
You dont have to prune it.... You could kill it if its that big of a problem and your neighbor refuses to help control her plants. Go to your local home improvement store buy some brush killer and simpley spray the vines on your property.
I'm drowning in wisteria. It sends out runners along the ground which dig in here and there and then sends up shoots. It grows at an alarming rate in the summer and if it gets into your trees it covers them with vines. My neighbor doesn't pay any attention to it, so it keeps growing toward my property in hidden areas, along fences, behind bushes, and I have to cut it back every month. The more I cut it, the more it grows. You can actually measure the growth daily. So if you get one, you must be diligent about pruning it.
You're insane lady!! (vee jay) Sounds like you had a few too many PBRS!!!
The pods on our wisteria started poping open last saturday evening and seeds that looked like buttons were flying all over our yard up to 23 yards.It sound like popcorn popping.Has this happened to anyone else?
I live in Florida, & have read lots about the care, etc. of the plant. What I'd like to know is..what about the root system! how hard is it to contol..will it invade. What's the "normal" root area? Do I need to keep it away from any other plant(s)?
Growing up In Alabama as a child I really took all of the beautiful wild wisteria for granted. I now live In Michigan and find myself really missing the fragrance and the beauty. I am going to buy some. I hope it will grow here.
it is a good landscaping shrub with its attracting flowers
E Norman Graham
04/03/2007 said: Doesn't wisteria produce a lot of pollen that causes allergic reactions in many people?
My response: So don't go there!
Interesting article. I would love to see the plant. Wisteria's have a sensational fragrance. I imagine you can enjoy the sweet fragrance of this plant for a long way off.