Description
(syn. tuberosa)
An unusual, twining and climbing perennial herb, with a graceful habit, that springs from a small tuber like a little Jerusalem Artichoke.
The flowers are termed papilionaceous, which means looking like a butterfly (or a small sweet pea), and their colouring is most unusual, a peculiar brownish-purple. A delightful feature is that the flowers are fragrant.
The leaves are pinnate, each divided into 3 to 9 leaflets. It would have been shorter if I had simply used its common name – tuberous wisteria – to describe it! Flowering is between April and October.
Unusual but not difficult to grow, it stays small in a pot, or reaches 5 m in the garden, but the whole ensemble dies away once frosted.