680 WISTARIA 



deciduous, and unequally pinnate. Flowers in handsome axillary or 

 terminal racemes, and mostly of a pale bluish lilac or white. Pods 

 rather resembling those of kidney beans in shape. The genus was named 

 in honour of Caspar Wistar, a professor of anatomy in the University 

 of Pennsylvania in the early part of the nineteenth century. It is some- 

 times spelt Wisteria. 



Wistarias are of easy cultivation, and quite hardy in the southern half 

 of England. In some places to the north-east they should be grown 

 on walls. They like a good loamy soil, but are not fastidious at the 

 root; a sunny position, however, is essential. The only problem in 

 connection with their culture is the provision of suitable support. For 

 W. chinensis, walls and pergolas afford the best means- of displaying 

 its attractions, and for the display of the long racemes of W. multijuga 

 an overhead trellis work is desirable. An arbour framed in iron will 

 quickly be covered by either of these species, and as the branches twist 

 round the rods any unsightliness is soon hidden. 



Seeds are not frequently produced, and do not afford a reliable means 

 of increase. But layering may be adopted, and shoots grafted in spring 

 on pieces of root from the same species, or chinensis, unite readily under 

 glass. Cuttings of August wood made of the lower part of the season's 

 shoots may also be tried. 



W. BRACHYBOTRYS, Siebold. 

 (Flora japonica, t. 45.) 



A deciduous shrub with twining branches, at least when young. Leaves 

 10 to 15 ins. long; leaflets from five and a half to eight and a half pairs, 

 downy when young, ovate, i^ to 2 ins. long. Racemes borne on short shoots 

 from the wood of the previous year, 3 to 5 ins. long; very downy. Flowers 

 crowded, nearly I in. long, dark purplish blue; standard petal f in. wide; 

 calyx \ in. long, bell-shaped, with five broad, triangular teeth. 



Native of Japan, whence it was imported to Belgium by Siebold in 1830. 

 He found it cultivated in several places, but only once wild, which was near 

 the village of Kosedo, not far from Nagasaki. He described it as being 

 3 to 5 ft. high there, and covering the side of a small hill, its flowers 

 "indigo-blue." In 1862 it was found near Nagasaki (perhaps on the same 

 site) by Richard Oldham, the Kew collector, whose specimens are preserved 

 in the Kew Herbarium. 



[Since our first edition was written, Mr E. H. Wilson has visited Japan, 

 where he made the Wistarias a subject of detailed study. He informs me 

 that Siebold's W. brachybotrys is nothing more than a wild form of what we 

 call W. multijuga. It, or one closely allied, has long been grown at Kew and 

 regarded as a poor form of W. multijuga. The Wistaria with short racemes 

 and large white flowers which was exhibited at the International Chelsea 

 Show of May 1912, as W. brachybotrys, Messrs Rehder and Wilson make a 

 new species and name W. VENUSTA.] 



W. CHINENSIS, De Candolle. 



(Glycine chinensis, Sims; Bot. Mag., t. 2083.) 



A strong-growing, deciduous climber, capable of covering lofty trees. 

 The trunks of old specimens, although often decayed and hollow, attain 



