It is native to the wet forests and stream banks of the southeastern United States, with a range stretching from the states of Virginia to Texas (Northeast Texas Piney Woods) and extending southeast through Florida, also north to Iowa, Michigan, and New York.

[20][failed verification] Several characteristics distinguish American wisteria from its Asian counterparts.

It grows only two-thirds as tall, its racemes are half as long (the shortest of the wisteria family), and its bloom time is sometimes shorter than many Asian varieties.

It is, however, subject to damage by typical pests like aphids, leaf miners, Japanese beetles, scale insects, and mealybugs.

These beetles will bore into the woody stems of young or unhealthy wisteria, causing disruption of water and nutrient flow.

Its stromata are elliptical or orbicular, are 1–2 mm in diameter, and are sunk into the bark, which causes raised pustules, some of which are ruptured.

[28] Partly dead leaves of Wisteria frutescens have been found to host Phomatospora wistariae Ellis & Everh.

This fungus is perithecial, meaning its fruiting body is flask-shaped with an ostiole through which its ascospores are released.

Phomatospora wistariae is hyaline in appearance and resembles a membrane, it is sessile, it does not have paraphyses, its asci are oblong, and its sporidia are biseriate and have an oblong-elliptical shape.

[29] Rhizobium radiobacter, previously known as Agrobacterium tumefaciens and commonly as crown gall, is a soil-borne bacterium that occasionally infects wisteria, causing abnormal growths or swellings on the roots or stems.

All species of Wisteria contain a saponin known as Wisterin in the bark, branches, pods, roots, and seeds.

Poisoning from the plant can occur from ingestion of 1 to 2 seed pods and results in mild to severe gastroenteritis, nausea, frequent vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

It serves as a defense compound against herbivores and provides a vital source of nitrogen for the growing plant embryo.