Wisteria.............
Donald Wyman, the head of the Arnold Arboretum from 1935-1970, made the case for Japanese Wisteria in 'Shrubs and Vines for American Gardens'................................................
If you love Wisteria for the beauty of its flowering racemes you might like to know that Chinese Wisteria... the one everyone buys... has racemes that are usually 6-12 inches in length. Japanese Wisteria, on the other hand, has flowering racemes that measure 8-48 inches.
If you love Wisteria for its fragrance when in bloom you might like to know that Chinese Wisteria is considered to be slightly fragrant. But Wyman makes it clear that varieties of Wisteria noted for their "delicious fragrance" belong mostly to the species floribunda [Japanese Wisteria].

Dwarf Japanese Black Pine.............................
"Regarded as a representative symbol or as worthy of veneration" is one of the definitions of the word "iconic." The Japanese black pine is clearly one of the iconic elements of a Japanese garden. Its stiff-needled, dark green foliage and bold, dramatically irregular habit of growth sets it apart from other pines. These characteristics give it, in Japanese eyes, a rugged masculine appearance. And while it is usually the focal point of any portion of the garden in which it is planted... it also serves admirably as a compliment to other, nearby plants. Dwarf forms have become increasingly popular for their ability to fit nicely into smaller, modern gardens.