Wisteria

What it looks like

Twining woody stems that spiral around whatever they climb and thicken into tree-sized trunks over time. Leaves are compound with 7 to 19 leaflets in a row, and the hanging clusters of fragrant lavender-purple flowers open in April, around the time the leaves come out. Velvety, bean-like seed pods follow. On the ground it sends out long runners that root as they go and sprout new plants across a lawn edge or bed.

Often mistaken for: American wisteria (the native, blooms later after leafing out and is much better behaved), trumpet vine, or black locust seedlings

When it shows up in the Triangle

Blooms in April in the Triangle, grows aggressively through summer, drops its leaves in fall, and the bare woody vines and runners are there all winter. Seedlings and root sprouts show up all season.

Where you’ll see it

Old home sites, fence lines, woods edges and lawn borders anywhere a wisteria was planted on a porch or arbor decades ago and has wandered.

What you can do

• Cut large vines at the base and again a few feet up, and remove them from trees so they don't regrow around the trunk
• Mow or cut ground runners every time they appear; starving the roots takes repeated effort
• Dig out seedlings and small root sprouts, getting the whole root
• Pick up and discard seed pods; the seeds are toxic if eaten and sprout readily
• Expect several seasons of follow-up; cut stumps resprout unless they are treated
• If you want the look, plant the native American wisteria instead