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55. Wisteria

a new version of the Wisteria flower for my "One of a kind" flower images project.

 

facts about wisterias:

#1: Wisteria is part of the legume family

The legume family is also home to peas, beans, lentils and clover!

 

#2: English botanist Thomas Nuttall (1786-1859) named the Wisteria

Along with at least 92 others. He was born in Long Preston, Yorkshire, but travelled to the Great Lakes of North America in 1810, with fellow botanist John Bradbury.

 

#3: The Wisteria is named in memory of Dr. Caspar Wistar

Dr. Caspar Wistar (1761-1818) was an American physician and anatomist. He was an early promoter of vaccinations, cousin of American Revolutionary diarist Sally Wister and also a friend of Thomas Jefferson.

 

#4: Two of the most popular Wisteria can be identified by how they climb!

If it twines its stems clockwise (seen from above), it’s probably a Japanese Wisteria (W. floribunda). The Chinese Wisteria (W. sinensis) however, twines counterclockwise – and this is the most common one in the UK.

 

#5: There are ten species of Wisteria

And they are native to China, Korea, Japan, and the Eastern United States. Chinese Wisteria was the most common species in the UK for many years, until other colours and species were gradually introduced.

 

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Uploaded on February 28, 2023