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Aristolochia tomentosa |
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| Common name |
Dutchman's pipe |
| Family |
aristolochiaceae |
| Life cycle |
woody vine |
| Flowers |
cream yellow (spring) |
| Light |
sun-part shade |
| Cultural notes |
ordinary garden soil |
One of the odder plants in our garden. Of course as a Dutchman, I had to grow this (although I haven't managed to grow my breeches yet), even though the "pipes" are mostly hidden behind the big leaves. It's worth a peak every once in a while, though, for the sheer curiousness of flower. For the rest of the year, it's a useful green vine, whose large mid-green leaves have a calming effect on the garden. It's getting too big for the home-made copper trellis we grow it on, and has extended itself into the nearby weeping cherry...
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| | It's eating our trellis! Still making an impression in the winter garden |
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| | An impressive trunk after many years in the garden. |
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| | Shiny top of leaf – the underside is downy |
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We left this plant behind in our Pennsylvania garden (and wish it well); we don't grow it in Houston. About my plant portraits
PlantLinks to other web pages about Aristolochia tomentosa
Visitors to this page have left the following comments| Gloria Valdez | Apr 05, 2005 | I recently moved to Tennessee from Colorado. I have tried like mad to find this plant at local nurseries or at a reasonable price online. You would not happen to have any see from Aristolochia macrophylla that I could have for this growing season? I would be ecstatic.
Sorry, I haven't been able to spot any viable seed on my vine so far. I have just one plant, it may require two for setting seed. |
| Shana in Seattle | Aug 16, 2005 | it's really wonderful - i dream of growing one, myself, someday :) |
| Ulf Eliasson | Feb 21, 2006 | The photo represent Aristolochia tomentosa and not A. macrophylla. The flowers of A. tomentosa are downy outside with the throat ring wrinkled. A. macrophylla has hairless flowers with a smooth throat ring.
Thanks! A friend had told me that previously, and I forgot to update the page. I'll go do it right now. |
| Elaine | Oct 14, 2011 | I lived in NH when I was growing up and we had Dutchman's pipe growing all over the screened porch. The pipes were small and looked like a pipe. I don't remember it really having a flower on the end of pipe. We kids use to pretent we were smoking a pipe. It did turn up at the end, but the whole stem was only about 1 to 2 inches long. I am finding out there are lots of varities of Dutchmans pipe vines. I bought one and planted it, but it has large purple flowers, not like the one we had as kids. Do you have any idea, what the one we had growing up was ?
I believe most of the aristolochia species are not hardy in NH - the large purple-flowered one is most likely tender. Chances are the one you remember was something similar to the one I describe here, maybe with slightly different coloration. |
| Elizabeth | Jun 12, 2012 | My Dutchman`s Pipe ( aristolochia tomentosa) was planted from a seed approximately 24 years ago and is certainly winter hardy. I live in Northern Ontario, Canada, just about 350 Kilomoters (roughly 229 miles)north of Toronto. My growing zone based on our Canadian Plant Hardiness Zone Map is about a 4A ...... your USDA map shows about a 3B. Some winters are harsher than others and only the longer vine growth seems to be touched by the cold.
I harvest lots of seed in the spring as this old vine produces one or 2 huge pods filled with seed. I would be pleased to offer some up for mailing if you could find out your US Plant regulations for seeds going through your mail system. |
| Xi | Apr 18, 2015 | Elizabeth, if you read this, would love to get some seeds from you. I am in Kingston ON, cannot find these vines anywhere!
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| Elizabeth Hughes | Oct 03, 2016 | Xi ....... just happened to check back at my old post and saw your request for some Aristolochia tomentosa seed. My eMail address is frazer@cogeco.ca. Please contact me with your address and I shall post some off to you. I am located in North Bay. |
| Lori | May 08, 2018 | I'm just wondering if you choose not to grow it in Houston or it won't grow in Houston? I just sprouted some seedlings and I am in Austin I'm hoping it will grow here.
I haven't seen it offered for sale around here, so I haven't considered growing it. There's a possibility that it won't appreciate the Texas heat in mid-summer, but it's certainly worth a try. |
| Douglas Tomasini | Aug 13, 2020 | I have a six year old Aristolochia tomentosa that produces many flowers but not any seed pods. Can you tell me what the problem may be? |
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