Wisteria is a genus of about ten species of woody climbing vines native to the eastern United States and the East Asian states of China, Korea, and Japan. The vines climb by twining their stems either clockwise or counter-clockwise round any available support. They can climb as high as 20m above ground and spread at 10m laterally. The genus was named after Dr. Caspar Wistar (1761-1818), a professor of anatomy at the University of Pennsylvania. As a consequence, the name is sometimes given as "Wistaria," but the spelling Wisteria is conserved under the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. (Newbury, MA - May 2006)
Taken at night from my second-story window . . . (July 23, 2005)
