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The complete nucleotide sequence of a Beijing isolate of Wisteria vein mosaic virus was determined to be 9695 nucleotides in length excluding the poly(A) tail. Sequence analysis predicted a single large open reading frame of 9279 nucleotides potentially encodes a polyprotein of 3092 amino acids. Phylogenetic analysis based on the genomic and deduced amino acid sequences support the current status of Wisteria vein mosaic virus (WVMV) as a distinct virus of the genus Potyvirus and a member of the Bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) subgroup. Sequence comparisons of WVMV and other members of the BCMV subgroup showed that WVMV is most closely related to both soybean mosaic virus and watermelon mosaic virus.

Wisteria mosaic is a common disease of Wisteria spp. in many regions of China. According to a recent survey, the incidence of this disease was about 40% on ornamental wisteria in gardens and courtyards in the Beijing area, China. In the most severely affected areas, about 80% disease incidence was recorded. In 2002, mosaic symptoms on W. sinensis were found on the west campus of China Agricultural University in Beijing. The symptoms included flecking, yellowing, vein clearing, mottling or mosaic on the leaves; similar to those of wisteria mosaic disease reported in other countries.