White Veined Hardy Dutchman's Pipe Aristolochia fimbriata
Previously known as:
- Aristolochia bonplandii
- Aristolochia ciliata
- Aristolochia ciliosa
- Aristolochia insignis
- Howardia fimbriata
- Phonetic Spelling
- a-ris-toh-LOH-kee-uh fim-bry-AH-tuh
- This plant has high severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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White Veined Hardy Dutchman's Pipe is a perennial vine groundcover. The plant is a native of Bolivia, Brazil, and North-East Argentina. The genus name, Aristolochia, is the combination of two words. The Greek word, aristos, translated means "best." The Greek word, locheia, translated means "childbirth." This references the flower's structure resembling a human fetus. The species name, fimbriata, is Latin and means "fringed." The common name, Dutchman's Pipe, references the shape of the flowers that resemble the Meerschaum smoking pipes once used in Europe.
This deciduous groundcover grows 6-12 inches in height, and the mound spreads about 2-3 feet with tuberous roots. The delicate foliage is heart-shaped and green with showy silver veining. Small fragrant speckled flowers resemble a trumpet-shaped clay pipe with a fringe of thread-like hairs at the opening giving a great show through the summer This prostrate mounding vine has green, wiry stems.
The vine prefers morning sun and afternoon shade. It will tolerate full shade and can tolerate full sun with adequate watering. Rich or sandy well-drained soil is preferred. It propagates by self-sowing of seeds from the previous season. It is dormant in winter so think about placement as it will leave a bare spot in the landscape. While it is hardy down to zone 7 in cold climates it can be grown as an annual.
The pipevine swallowtail butterfly uses the plant as a food source. Their caterpillars will strip the above-ground growth of the plant in mid-summer and the adult butterflies will return to lay more eggs. When the new caterpillars emerge in the spring they feast on the tuberous roots. The pipevine swallowtail butterfly is immune to the poison in this particular species that can cause problems for humans. If swallowtail larval browsing is too heavy consider planting one of the larger pipevines.
It is drought and deer resistant and works well in shady spots that could use a bright pop of color with its silvery leaves. The trailing form looks beautiful hanging from hanging baskets or cascading over a garden wall.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
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- Cultivars / Varieties:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Aristolochia
- Species:
- fimbriata
- Family:
- Aristolochiaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Argentina Northeast, Bolivia, Brazil South, Paraguay, Uruguay
- Distribution:
- Introduced: Transcaucasus
- Wildlife Value:
- Larval host plant for the Pipevine swallowtail butterfly. This plant supports Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) larvae which appear in late spring and summer in the east and California. In the south and southwest regions it most commonly appears in late summer through fall. Adult Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies feed solely off of flower nectar from other plants like azaleas, thistles, verbena, lupines, and lilacs.
- Play Value:
- Wildlife Larval Host
- Dimensions:
- Height: 0 ft. 6 in. - 1 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 1 ft. 6 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Ground Cover
- Vine
- Habit/Form:
- Mounding
- Prostrate
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- High Organic Matter
- Sand
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 3 feet-6 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Green
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Fruit Description:
- Fruits are attractive green oval and ribbed resembling tiny watermellons.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Red/Burgundy
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Solitary
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Long Bloom Season
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Trumpet
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- 1 inch long, and the trumpet is shaped like a clay pipe with tenticles on the end. The green tubes develop along the stem and at the opening flairs out to reveal mottled yellowish-brown to yellowish-maroon interiors. They bloom all summer.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Blue
- Gray/Silver
- Green
- Variegated
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Shape:
- Cordate
- Reniform
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The leaves are blue green, heart-shaped, and marked with silver veins. The foliage is spaced along a wiry stem.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- The stems are green, wiry, and prostrate.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Container
- Hanging Baskets
- Rock Wall
- Vertical Spaces
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Pollinators
- Problems:
- Poisonous to Humans
- Problem for Children