Dutchman's Pipe
Aristolochia macrophylla (durior)
The host vine for iridescent pipevine swallowtails: no vine, no butterflies. Big heart-shaped leaves make a dense, leafy privacy screen.
Typically 1 quart–3 gal · $17–$85 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Sep 248 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Sep 258 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Sep 268 AM – 2 PM
The host plant for pipevine swallowtails. without it in your garden, you simply won't see those iridescent blue-black wings.
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.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown dutchman's pipe propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Part sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 15–30 ft · 5–10 ft wide
- Bloom time
- Spring
- USDA zones
- 4–8
- Family
- Aristolochiaceae
- Native range
- Eastern North America
Care notes for dutchman's pipe.
Part shade to full shade, consistently moist soil. Does best in cooler microclimates in the South. sited where afternoon sun is blocked. Water regularly; does not tolerate drought well. Train on a strong trellis or fence. Prune in late winter to control size. Do not deadhead or remove caterpillar-eaten foliage. that's the point.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside dutchman's pipe.
Or skip the guesswork.
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