Dutchman's Pipevine
Native Pipe Vine

Aristolochia fimbriata

 

. . . for hosting iridescent blue and black
pipevine swallowtail butterflies

Common Name: Dutchman's Pipevine

Botanical Name: Aristolochia fimbriata

Design Tip: Use along pathways or on the edge of a naturalized woodland setting as a ground hugging plant or between plants and shrubs in a mixed border.

Form: This variety of Aristolochia is a small ground-cover type perennial vine that returns from tuber-like roots.

Size: The herbaceous A. fimbriata attains a three-foot wide mound in the growing season. In contrast, two other Texas-indigenous varieties, A. durior and tomentosa, grow large enough to cover trellis and fencing.

Flowers: One-inch exotic blooms of yellow and maroon resemble a trumpet shaped clay pipe; hence the common name. Blooms appear on new growths throughout the summer.

Foliage: The three-inch heart shaped green leaves are widely spaced along wiry stems and are marked with silver veins.

Soil: It prefers a well-draining moist, rich soil.

Light Exposure: Morning sun with afternoon shade produces best bloom and growth. Although, it will accept full shade or live in full sun with regular irrigation.

Hardiness: USDA Zones 7-10

Propagation: It will self-sow from the previous season's seed, taking at least 3 months to germinate.

Where to get it: Find it at nurseries specializing in native and adapted plants and from mail order suppliers on the web including http://www.plantdelights.com

Snippets: This is the only plant where the pipevine swallowtail butterfly will lay its eggs. If a healthy crop of caterpillars devour the entire above-ground growth, more will return from the tuberous roots to host the next batch of eggs. The more plants you have, the more iridescent-blue and black butterflies your garden can accommodate.

 The Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly lays it eggs on
Aristolochia fimbriata pipevine - above

and feeds from other nectar bearing plants.


 
Return to Plant Profile Page

Return to Home

 Cultivated, photographed and written by
Maggie Ross McNeely in Fort Worth, Texas
All rights reserved