HARDY CLIMBING SHRUBS 61 



completely has their oriental relative surpassed them 

 in popular appreciation. 



The Chinese Wistaria is native of the eastern part 

 of China and is not completely hardy as far north as 

 Boston, Mass. It requires some protection and this 

 is usually afforded by planting it against houses. 

 Even then in severe winters the flower buds get killed. 



In scenes of Japanese gardens and temple grounds 

 and in Japanese paintings and embroideries most 

 people are familiar with a Wistaria having very long 

 racemes of flowers. This plant is known generally as 

 Wistaria multijuga but is really only a garden form of 

 the common wild Wistaria of Japan (W . floribunda) 

 and correctly should be called W. floribunda, var. 

 macrobotrys. The type is abundant on the mar- 

 gins of moist woods and thickets and especially 

 by the side of streams, ponds, and ditches vir- 

 tually all over Japan and has racemes of pale purple 

 flowers one and one-half feet long. In Japanese 

 gardens forms with white and pinkish flowers with 

 racemes two and two and one-half feet long are 

 cultivated, and also a purple-flowered form with 

 racemes which I myself have measured sixty-four 

 and one-half inches long! These plants are always 

 grown by the side of ponds and streams and the stems 

 trained to form an arbor, and it is unlimited water 



