It is widely cultivated in temperate regions for its twisting stems and masses of scented flowers in hanging racemes, in spring.

All parts of the plant contain a glycoside called wisterine which is toxic if ingested and may cause nausea, vomiting, stomach pains, and diarrhea.

Wisteria sinensis was unknown in the west before 1816, when several agents of the East India Company working in China sent cuttings back to England.

Wisteria sinensis is most commonly trained along garden walls, along the exterior of buildings, or over a pergola to create avenues of overhanging blossoms during bloom.

[5] A white-flowering cultivar, Wisteria sinensis 'Alba', was discovered in a garden by botanist Robert Fortune in 1844, from which he took cuttings for the Royal Horticultural Society.