wisteria

noun

wis·​te·​ria wi-ˈstir-ē-ə 

variants or less commonly wistaria

wi-ˈstir-ē-ə 

also

-ˈster- 

: any of a genus (Wisteria) of mostly woody leguminous vines of China, Japan, and the southeastern U.S. that have pinnately compound leaves and long racemes of showy blue, white, purple, or rose papilionaceous flowers and that include several (such as W. sinensis and W. floribunda) grown as ornamentals

Illustration of wisteria

Examples of wisteria in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Even if dark clouds cover the sky, the purple wisteria and white dogwood blooms will compete with the colorful Easter clothes on worshippers filling up Sunday services in churches big and small throughout Arkansas. —Werner Trieschmann, arkansasonline.com, 31 Mar. 2024

Its extensive landscaping brings the tiered facades to life, factoring in indigenous plants and trees from all over Turkey and other vegetation, such as mushroom oaks, ironwood, stone pines, and Chinese wisteria. —Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 7 Feb. 2024

Whereas most wisteria festivals across Japan kick off around late April, these wisteria tend to bloom later, around early May. —Talia Avakian, Travel + Leisure, 2 Mar. 2024

American Wisteria American wisteria (Wisteria frutescens) is another native worth a look. —Steve Bender, Southern Living, 21 Oct. 2023

Awful Weed #1: Wisteria Japanese and Chinese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda and sinensis) are absolutely gorgeous in flower. —Steve Bender, Southern Living, 7 July 2023

Cottage Planted 20 years ago, a lavender-and-cream Japanese wisteria climbs the pergola, flowering every May. —Owen Holmes, House Beautiful, 23 Mar. 2023

While vigorous, American wisteria doesn't grow as aggressively as non-native wisterias. —Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Feb. 2023

Sometimes people complain that their wisteria is not blooming. —oregonlive, 12 Jan. 2021

Word History

Etymology

New Latin Wisteria, from Caspar Wistar †1818 American physician

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

wisteria

noun

wis·​te·​ria wis-ˈtir-ē-ə 

variants also wistaria

-ˈtir-ē-ə 

also

-ˈter- 

: any of a genus of mostly woody vines of China, Japan, and the southeastern U.S. that belong to the legume family and have leaves with numerous leaflets and showy blue, white, purple, or rose flowers in long hanging clusters

Etymology

named for Caspar Wistar 1761–1818 American physician