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White Veined Hardy Dutchman's Pipe Aristolochia fimbriata

Previously known as:

  • Aristolochia ciliata
  • Aristolochia insignis
Phonetic Spelling
a-ris-toh-LOH-kee-uh fim-bry-AH-tuh
This plant has high severity poison characteristics.
See below
Description

White-veined hardy Dutchman's pipe is a subtropical herbaceous perennial in the pipevine family (Aristolochiaceae). The plant is a native of Bolivia, Brazil, and northeast Argentina. The genus name is a compound of two Greek words: aristos, meaning "best," and locheia, meaning "childbirth." This references the flower bud's resemblance to a human fetus. The species epithet is Latin for "fringed," which describes the flower. 

The creeping or sprawling herbaceous perennial 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 dies back and goes dormant in winter. While it is hardy down to zone 7 in cold climates it can be grown as an annual. 

This deciduous groundcover grows 6 to 12 inches in height and spreads about 2 or 3 feet. New shoots are produced from the buds that sit at ground level atop a tuberous root system. 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. This prostrate mounding plant has green, wiry stems. Unlike most of its pipevine kin, it is not a twining vine and will not climb a trellis. It is sometimes grown as a houseplant with the top portion of the tuberous root exposed above ground to give added interest.

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. 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:
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#showy flowers#fragrant flowers#houseplant#drought tolerant#hanging baskets#showy fruits#deer resistant#long bloom time#groundcover#pollinator plant#larval host plant#food source herbage#garden walls#butterfly friendly#perennial vines#pipevine swallowtail butterfly#container plant#poisonous if ingested#butterfly caterpillar host#wildlife friendly
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#showy flowers#fragrant flowers#houseplant#drought tolerant#hanging baskets#showy fruits#deer resistant#long bloom time#groundcover#pollinator plant#larval host plant#food source herbage#garden walls#butterfly friendly#perennial vines#pipevine swallowtail butterfly#container plant#poisonous if ingested#butterfly caterpillar host#wildlife friendly
  • 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 (Battus philenor) . In the south and southwest regions, the butterfly 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.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Ground Cover
    Herbaceous Perennial
    Houseplant
    Habit/Form:
    Creeping
    Mounding
    Multi-stemmed
    Prostrate
  • 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
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Black
    Brown/Copper
    Fruit Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Fruit Description:
    Immature fruits are attractive green oval and ribbed resembling tiny watermelons. At maturity, they dry and split open to release small, disc-shaped seeds.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Green
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Description:
    The stems are green, wiry, and prostrate.
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Container
    Hanging Baskets
    Houseplants
    Rock Wall
    Vertical Spaces
    Woodland
    Landscape Theme:
    Butterfly Garden
    Drought Tolerant Garden
    Rock Garden
    Design Feature:
    Border
    Attracts:
    Butterflies
    Problems:
    Poisonous to Humans
    Problem for Children
  • Poisonous to Humans:
    Poison Severity:
    High
    Poison Symptoms:
    Ingestion of any part of this plant may cause irreversible kidney failure.
    Poison Toxic Principle:
    Aristolochic acid
    Causes Contact Dermatitis:
    No
    Poison Part:
    Flowers
    Fruits
    Leaves
    Roots
    Sap/Juice
    Seeds
    Stems