Dutchman's Pipe

Aristolochia macrophylla (durior)

Dutchman's pipe is the host plant for pipevine swallowtail butterflies. one of the most dramatically beautiful native butterflies in eastern North America, with iridescent blue-black hindwings. Without this vine, you will not have these butterflies. The connection is that direct. Plant dutchman's pipe near a porch or path where you can see the adults laying eggs and the caterpillars feeding through summer. Large, heart-shaped leaves create an unusually dense, tropical-looking screen on a fence or arbor, perfect for privacy without the formality of a hedge. The curved pipe-shaped flowers in late spring are botanical curiosities. modest in color but fascinating up close. This vine earns its keep through the butterflies it sustains more than its own visual drama.