My new Dutchman's Pipe

[Junebug]

The other day my hubby sent me to Lowe's to buy some caulk and lacquer thinner...he should have known better. So I detoured to the garden center where I found a new shipment of Aristolochia littoralis commonly known as Dutchman's Pipe. I'd wanted one for a long time, but money's been tight, so I resisted my temptation to purchase one.

Afterwards I shared the experience of my "find" with my husband. We left work and were on our way home when he said he needed more materials from Lowe's. After parking the car he told me to go to the garden center and buy the Dutchman's Pipe while he did his shopping. Wasn't that sweet of him?

Anyway, here are some photos of the newest member of our family. Enjoy!

[marydaniellesantos]

That is extremely sweet of him! The plant is very unique!

[natasha]

he is a very sweet guy!!! you're so lucky... that is one unique plant!

[Grandma M]

What an interesting looking plant. I have heard of them but never saw a picture of one before. Thanks for posting this.

Marilyn

[Lorraine]

Hi Junebug, Hug your hubby!

I love the Dutchman's Pipe. Bought 2 several years ago at Butterfly World for my "Butterfly Garden" area. The Swallowtail Butterfly love them for raising their young. I hope you have a trellis or fence to put it on since it LOVES to vine way out. Mine gets 2 severe haircuts a year and just grows it all back. The flowers look "Alien"..but at the same time beautiful. Wait till you see the cocoons from swallowtail..they are really alien looking!

Hope you enjoy yours as much as I do.

[Junebug]

Thank you for the nice comments.

I would have never expected to find a Dutchman's Pipe at Lowe's. I know someone who has a large one growing in his yard, but that's the only one I've ever seen. The grower's tag is from Greendale Nursery and it describes the plant as not being susceptible to pests. That's not true. The Dutchman's Pipe is the host plant for the swallowtail butterfly. It's also considered poisonous if injested. The tag didn't mention that either.

Now I need to find a good location for planting. My back yard is fenced, but there are young children living over the east and west sides and the home on the north side is a rental with the potential for young occupants. It would cast too much shade if grown near the shade house...and the front yard faces south and it might be too sunny. Hmmm, where am I gonna plant this thing?

[Junebug]

Originally Posted by Lorraine

Hi Junebug, Hug your hubby!

I love the Dutchman's Pipe. Bought 2 several years ago at Butterfly World for my "Butterfly Garden" area. The Swallowtail Butterfly love them for raising their young. I hope you have a trellis or fence to put it on since it LOVES to vine way out. Mine gets 2 severe haircuts a year and just grows it all back. The flowers look "Alien"..but at the same time beautiful. Wait till you see the cocoons from swallowtail..they are really alien looking!

Hope you enjoy yours as much as I do.

Thanks, Lorraine.

How much sunlight can these guys take? The tag said shade, but articles on the internet recommend partial sun.

I've rule out planting along my backyard fence lines because the plant is poisonous and there are young children living on either side.

Most of my chids were moved from the front yard pocket garden to the back yard shade house so my entry way and front wall looks a little barren now. There are blank spaces in this area near walls and around windows that might be suitable for my Dutchman. Near the walls the roof overhang casts about 2 feet of shade during most of the day. It's still bright enough to grow flowering Cattleyas and succulents, but there's very little direct sunlight.

Would love to fashion a trellis out of some on-hand bamboo, but I'm not sure how to go about securing the intersections of the lattice. It might be wiser to use the thick bamboo poles for vertical support and connect sturdy wire between them.

[Oscarman]

That is a super plant! Wish it was hardy in my zone.

Anyone know how poisonous this plant is? It is good to be concerned with kids around.

Often with plants labelled as poisonous, it is a huge amount that would never occur. The leaves of rhubarb are considered poisonous but you would have to eat a large amount, something like 1/2 lb for 15 lb body weight. That's a lot of terrible tasting leaves one would have to chew! Yuk.

[Junebug]

Originally Posted by Oscarman

That is a super plant! Wish it was hardy in my zone.

Anyone know how poisonous this plant is? It is good to be concerned with kids around.

Often with plants labelled as poisonous, it is a huge amount that would never occur. The leaves of rhubarb are considered poisonous but you would have to eat a large amount, something like 1/2 lb for 15 lb body weight. That's a lot of terrible tasting leaves one would have to chew! Yuk.

From what I've read, all of the plant parts are poisonous and should not be ingested, however...The dutchman's pipe is also known by the name birthwort and years ago it was used to treat women in labor. It was thought to help expel the placenta after childbirth. Some women receiving the treatment died, but who knows, perhaps they would have died anyway. Another article described the plant as a Class I carcinogen and yet another described how Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians highly regarded the plant for wound healing. The plant tissue contains aristolochic acid. It has disinfectant properties (I'm assuming if applied topically) and increases white blood cell production and activity.

[Lorraine]

Mine are growing on the west side of my house. Here is a picture from a couple years ago. The plant in the middle is no longer in the garden. Now only the two and they fill up the entire space. I put up 5 metal trellis I bought from HD. Attached them to the wall with spacers behind them. They hold their leaves unless the swallowtail catapillars are munching on them and the leftover pieces fall and shrivel. I just go out and gather them up after a feast. I'm not planning to add any to my salad. Glad to know its poisonous.