Q.Parasitic?
I lived in TN for a short time and saw millions of wisteria hanging from the trees. Absolutely beautiful. I moved to southern AZ and have seen wisteria here so I obtained some pods. My question is: is wisteria a parasite to trees? I have mesquite trees and would like to see wisteria hanging from some of them. Will it kill the tree?
Thank you
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
There might be something else that is in the trees, unless they are rooted to the ground.
As a TN native, I can say that wisteria doesn't really naturalize here, nor does it escape captivity, too often. They are terrestrial plants, and will grow in soil.
If you had a photo I could help to ID it, but it would be hard to say what it was. We don't have a very wide selection of parasitic plants here. The most common that we see is Mistletoe.
Something that you will see lots of, that may get mistaken for wisteria is called Campsis radicans. This twining weed is highly invasive, attracts ants, and will grow up and constrict anything that it comes into contact with over time.
This is likely what you saw, as it is rampant here.
Here is some more information: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/category/ornamental/vines/trumpet-vine
