Chinese Wisteria

Wisteria sinensis

Commonly cultivated, escaped to a wide diversity of urban, suburban, and rural forests and woodlands. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

-85

Severe harm

Not native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

Height: 10–25 feet
Spread: 4–30 feet
Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Usually moist

See native alternatives

Wisteria sinensis — whole photograph — (c) Dilrukshan Priyantha Wijesinghe, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

Do not plant. Listed invasive in Alabama.

Plant this instead

Your county

Choose your county to list local plants first.

American Wisteria
Wisteria frutescens
Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Usually moist. Flowers: Blue, yellow, green, purple, red or white.
Published recommendation: Tennessee Invasive Plant Council (TN-IPC)
Maypops
Passiflora incarnata
Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Blue, pink, purple or white.
Published recommendation: South Carolina Native Plant Society, Lowcountry Chapter
Wild Potato-vine
Ipomoea pandurata
Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Purple, red or white.
Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous
Different: spread

Refine these alternatives in the finder

Check a whole list of plants

At a glance

Life cycle: Woody perennial
Leaves: Deciduous
Bloom: April to July
Fruiting season: July to November

JFMAMJJASOND

Recorded in 49 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain. — Named place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 127 animals.

Wood Duck
Aix sponsa
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Wood Thrush
Hylocichla mustelina
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Worm-eating Warbler
Helmitheros vermivorum
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus varius
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Coccyzus americanus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Yellow-breasted Chat
Icteria virens
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Yellow-crowned Night-heron
Nyctanassa violacea
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Dendroica coronata
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Yellow-throated Warbler
Dendroica dominica
Birds. 2 shared habitats
American Coot
Fulica americana
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Kestrel
Falco sparverius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Tree Sparrow
Spizella arborea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bank Swallow
Riparia riparia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-billed Cuckoo
Coccyzus erythropthalmus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Dendroica caerulescens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Brewer's Blackbird
Euphagus cyanocephalus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Canvasback
Aythya valisineria
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Cerulean Warbler
Dendroica cerulea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Evening Grosbeak
Coccothraustes vespertinus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Fish Crow
Corvus ossifragus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Fox Sparrow
Passerella iliaca
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Lincoln's Sparrow
Melospiza lincolnii
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Alabama

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

19CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Wisteria

Epargyreus clarusSilver-spotted Skipper
Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
Anticarsia gemmatalisVelvetbean Caterpillar Moth
Automeris ioIo Moth
Ecdytolopha insiticianaLocust Twig Borer Moth
Euphydryas phaetonThe Baltimore, The Black Checker
Gesta horatiusHorace's Duskywing, Brown Duskywing
Gesta zaruccoZarucco Duskywing
Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm

Show all 19

Oedemasia concinnaRed-Humped Caterpillar, Red-Humped Appleworm
Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
Paonias excaecataBlinded Sphinx, Blind Eyed Sphinx
Sciota subcaesiellaLocust Leafroller
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Synanthedon scitulaDogwood Borer, Pecan Borer
Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
Urbanus proteusLong-Tailed Skipper, Bean Leaf Roller
Zale lunataLunate Zale

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Fabaceae
Hardiness: Zones 5a–8b
Soil pH: Acidic to alkaline
Flower color: Blue, pink, purple or white
Fruit begins: July
Fruit ends: November

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “April to July” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Blue, pink, purple or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Fruit begins · “July” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “November” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Hardiness · “Zones 5a–8b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “10–25 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Fire Effects Information System: Wisteria sinensis differs)
Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil · “Moist” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil pH · “Acidic to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “4–30 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Conservation status

Alabama rank	SNA
Global rank	GNR
AL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources