Aristolochia Species, Giant Dutchman's Pipe, Giant Pelican Flower

I have a huge vine here in Naples Florida. It is definitely a garden rather than landscape plant, because if not attended to it can liter...Read Moreally run wild! But it IS a pollinator plant, and I never heard of it harming butterflies. It is a host /larval plant for the pipevine swallowtails here and many alien looking caterpillars have been born here--in spring 100s-yes 100s!- of baby black swallowtails! The yellow Tiger swallowtails visit it too, and it does not seem to harm them in the least!

Please do not plant this species in your garden, or any of the related tropical pipevine plants, like Aristolochia elegans. They are toxi...Read Morec to our beautiful native Pipevine Swallowtail that will lay eggs on it as they would the native pipevine plants. Unfortunately, the larvae soon die after eating of the leaves. Several of these alien pipevines are becoming invasive in Florida and may eventually have an impact on the population of one of our most beautiful butterflies. Thank you!

This vine has out performed every other vine on our fence. The passion vine was no match, and it just completely swallowed up the Mexica...Read Moren Flame causing it to grow on its side. (Looks kind of cool) I first thought the sky vine would keep it in check because that is an insanely fast grower. However, gigantea just swallowed that up too like it was something delectable.

While pruning and trimming in the garden today, I collected several seed pods from my Dutchman's Pipe. Very easy and looking forward to ...Read Moreplanting. However, I am concerned about the earlier comment about these plants being "death" to the pipevine swallowtail....because I frequently saw small and some medium-sized larvae on the plant, then they disappeared. Has anybody else experienced this with this plant? I realize the larve are sometimes impossible to find when they crawl off to finish their journey, but this is a bit troubling. Thanks for your comments.

I got some cuttings of this plant from a neighbor, which sadly perished quickly due to some actual cold winter weather here in Florida. ...Read MoreI tried to bring the pot inside to protect them, but the wind-bruised leaves really stunk up the dining room. The smell of the leaves is not a deterrent for me as long as the plant is outside.

I did come across one point that MIGHT be a NEGATIVE for this plant, though. While the cuttings (which had blooms on them) were busy dying, the blooms fell off the vine. The dropped blooms actually looked like perfect little piles of doggie doo-doo in the lawn. I don't know if the blooms usually drop, or if they usually decay on the vine and only dropped because they were cuttings, but I think the plant is gorgeous and I plan on replacing it as soon as the good weather is more reliable.

Absolutely love this plant. Tends to escape the trellis and run wild, but well worth it. Everyone who sees it wants to know all about it....Read More Lovely large purple flowers. Got the small plant two years ago from our local Master Gardeners Plant Sale. Thought it had died over the winter, but it came back healthy and strong. Still in full bloom today- Nov 26, 2010.

A fantastic climber, hardy in Athens, Greece.
In a pot it's size is somewhat controlled, if sown in the ground it gets huge especi...Read Moreally after a frostless winter and it flowers enormously!
If there is frost it dies down and regrows in spring but with fewer flowers.
I bought a large potted plant that flowered immediately.
I also sowed seeds in late May (harvested last winter from a friend's plant) that germinated in 3 weeks!
Seeds must be fresh and the seedpod must have matured on the plant (when this happens it dries and opens at the top).

I am looking for information of where the origins of this plant is, I am in Australia, QLD and have several of them constantly flowering ...Read Moreand we have them climbing up old tree tumps. I am wanting more information about propagating and where they come from. Cheers kath

This vine being one of the hardest to obtain in Canada (unless you start it from seed), is well worth the search. I grew one specimen in...Read More the greenhouse, and the other in my south-facing front window. Both specimens grew like mad from spring til october with flowering on October 27. I fertilized the indoor specimen plant with super-thrive from August-September, and the greenhouse grown specimen was not fertilized.

I didn't notice any foul smell when in flower, and I could be found staring at the open flower for hours as it's so mesmerizing. STUNNING.

As I grew one specimen indoors, south-facing, above the base-heater, by the fireplace, this vine is suitable for indoor growth, but is best kept in check (which is a plus, as flowers sprout from new wood) as it can grow rapidly. Who wouldn't want hanging heart-shaped leaves in their window? Must better than an ivy for sure.

Highly recommended.

Started as a rooted cutting last fall. In the garage for the winter. I thought it was dead, then it put out some vines. Put it in a big p...Read Moreot with and upside down tomato cage for trellis. Started to really take off in July. First flower in October. I water it about twice a week.

As Sheila_FW pointed out, this pipevine is NOT used by Pipevine Swallowtails. Females lay eggs and larvae die eating this particular spe...Read Morecies. However, it IS a host plant for the Polydamas Swallowtail. Plant is certainly a fast grower and the flowers are spectacular.

My plant is growing well. I bought it in May 2008, however my Aristolochia is not blooming. Is there something that I should be doing t...Read Moreo get some blooms. It is getting taller and taller but not one flower.
Thanks
Huggy

I have just learned that the a. gigantea is a death sentence for the Pipevine Swallowtail. Several of my friends on the Hummingbird and ...Read MoreButterfly forum that raise caterpillars like myself; say the cats the eat from that plant die. The female butterfly will still lay her eggs on it but after hatching and beginning to eat, the larva don't make it.
I only planted it as a butterfly host plant, so bye bye gigantea!

I planted this plant 3 years ago,got it by accident,but I like it the massive flowers,, always become a topic of conversion.It can be inv...Read Moreassive,its a very fast grower,but this is kind of a good thing since catapillers seem to be able to devower it very quickly,it grows back just in time for the next set of butterflies and their larva.the flowers scent is mild and pleasant, but cut the stem or crush the leaves and it produces a pungent not so desirable smell.It has done well in drout and heavy rainy seasons, I would recommend this plant if you have the space and your zone and climate is close to my here in Orlando

This plant grows very well at the Jacksonville (Florida) Zoo and Gardens in two places in the "Range of the Jaguar" exhibit. It is alway...Read Mores a conversation starter with its strange dark brown flowers. It is in a somewhat protected outdoor location, but did survive temperatures last winter of around 28 F on a few nights. I'm hoping to get some cuttings rotted soon.

Jeremy

Although, I enjoy these vines and its exotic blooms. The scent is a bit pungent. This I believe is emits by injured leaves and vine, no...Read Moret from the flower itself. It's a great conversational piece. However, I found they're not hardy here in my zone.

This plant is so easy! It gets huge, the pipevine swallowtails love it for larval food and it flowers almost year round. The foliage stin...Read Moreks if crushed, but the flowers smell like lemons.
It survived a brief freeze a couple of years ago. It lost its leaves, but quickly recovered.

This has turned into one of my handful of die hard favorites. Fast growing, tolerant of neglectful watering and/or lackadaisical care, de...Read Moreeply appreciative of any extra fuss by blooming more prolifically. It's so beautiful, and I'm continually delighted by the fresh lemon scent wafting from those outrageously bizarre looking blooms!

It's been a rough summer here in South Florida zone 10, hot hot hot and dry. Some of my plants have fried to a crisp, even in shade. Sigh. But this plant is thriving in full morning sun and partial afternoon shade. It loves the heat and humidity. I can't recommend it enough to my friends, though it seems that online is the only way to find it.

You have to get used to sharing it with caterpillars. It's particularly distressing when they munch on the flowerbuds but it's a terrific bloomer and there will always be enough to share.

I bought a small cutting start of this at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden plant sale this spring and planted it near my woodpile in the Catsk...Read Moreills expecting a spectacular show. Despite the record heat this summer, it has not produced a single new leaf--although none of the others look stressed. Guess its just too cold. I am thinking of potting it up and bringing it inside.

A. gigantea is easy to grow and a vigourous vine sometimes becoming invasive. It can be grown from seed or from cutting. I have done OK...Read More at both although I am not a great horticulturist. It is most important with the cuttings to grow them in a warm environment to have success and most people say that they are hard to propogate from cutting (not *my* experience but that is the word on the street).

In my opinion, some of the images here are not in the correct category. You will see above that some flowers are large and somewhat droopy and not as deeply coloured and others are smaller, darker, and more structurally sound. The larger droopier ones have a distinct lemony smell that is noticable a *small* distance from the plant when it is in bloom and - in my opinion - it is A. brasiliensis (sometimes called A. gigantea 'Brasiliensis' although it is an entirely different species). The smaller darker ones do have a lemony fragrance the first day that they are open but you hafta have a *really* good nose and get right up into the flower to detect it. It never has a foul odour as some report but some of the other members of this genus which are similiar looking *do* have a foul odour.

A. gigantea can be very invasive so avoid planting it where it may escape and cause harm to native species. It is a preferred host plant for some type of butterfly (I dunno what kind - butterflies are my thing...). I have one growing in my yard and people really thing it is weird and seem to like it (they keep stealing cuttings so I am taking taht as a COMPLIMENT!).

Hope this is helpful.

-ellie

I said my experience is positive, but actually I have just planted mine. I do know people who grow it successfully both in Conroe and Tom...Read Moreball, and I saw it last week grown quite successfully in a butterfly garden in Austin (The Natural Gardener.) It is the larval food of the Pipe-vine Swallowtail, one of the main reasons I am now growing it. In the butterfly garden in Austin, they were growing this vine as a ground-cover, which is what I am doing (no room for another trellis.)

I planted it from seed (the seeds have a great germination ration, it seems), and I have now a 6 years old vine growing in the porch of m...Read Morey apartment. I can´t take care of it where I live. It doesn´t have room to grow, and the light is inadequate, so it never bloomed. But I´m confident that it will make it as soon as we move to a house, with an actual yard.

The only place I know this is cultivated here in Rio de Janeiro is the Botanical Garden. I hear people complaining about its smell, but honestly, I never sensed any smell from it. This plant should get more attention.

I have had great success growing my Gigantea in a pot. It twined up over my kitchen window. Bloomed until late Fall. Here it is Feb an...Read Mored it is still green. Very rewarding.