Wisteria earns the title 'Most Poisonous Plant of 2024': A beauty with hidden dangers

Wisteria, also known as sweetvetch or glycine, can leave a significant impression during blooming thanks to its expansive vines and vibrant lilac, white, or blue flowers that typically appear in May. Some plants can even grow up to 32.8 feet tall.

These plants have specific needs: they thrive best in warm, sunny, and protected positions and require moderately fertile, medium-moisture soil for optimal growth.

In the first four years after planting, wisterias need regular watering, fertilizing in the spring, and protection during the winter season. After this period, fertilizer usage is usually reduced, as overfertilizing can significantly impede flowering.

Because of its vigorous growth and to ensure abundant blooming, pruning wisteria twice a year is necessary. The first pruning occurs in spring to remove frozen, diseased, and dead shoots, and the next during July and August.

In this year's Most Poisonous Plant Competition 2024, organized by the Hamburg Botanical Garden, wisteria surpassed asparagus, four-leafed sorrel, and daffodil to take first place.

Despite their astonishing beauty, few people realize that wisterias are dangerously toxic due to the harmful substances they contain. The flowers, seeds, bark, and roots are packed with glycoside, wisterin, and poisonous resin.

Ingesting any of these substances can cause an array of severe health conditions - primarily poisoning, acute abdominal discomfort, vomiting, and diarrhea. In severe cases, it might result in a collapse and circulatory disorders. Children and pets like dogs and cats are particularly vulnerable to these risks.