Wistaria

That got your attention didn’t it? Wisteria or Wistaria? Both are legitimate.

I once got into a heated ‘discussion’ on a FB garden group with a woman who was adamant she knew best. She had NEVER heard this gorgeous plant called Wistaria before, so it never had been.

Quite apart from the futility and stupidity of engaging in a heated discussion with a random stranger on a social media site, I knew she was wrong. Wrong! 😂

My understanding is this plant was first named Glycine frutescens by Linnaeus, the person basically responsible for the practice of naming plants with binomial nomenclature or two names. The name was later updated (an annoying habit of botanists) to Wistaria to commemorate Caspar Wistar, an American physician.

I’m not sure why, or how, but over time the spelling became corrupted to Wisteria, which has become the most accepted form of spelling.

So there you have it. If you want a discussion on binomial nomenclature and the correct spelling of some plant names, here’s a good starting point.

Til next time!