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Giant Dutchman's Pipe

Aristolochia gigantea

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Giant Dutchman's Pipe (Aristolochia gigantea) at Roger's Gardens

Giant Dutchman's Pipe flowers

Giant Dutchman's Pipe flowers

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Giant Dutchman's Pipe (Aristolochia gigantea) at Roger's Gardens

Giant Dutchman's Pipe in bloom

Giant Dutchman's Pipe in bloom

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Height:  20 feet

Spread:  3 feet

Sunlight:  full sun  partial shade 

Hardiness Zone:  10a

Other Names:  Giant Pelican Flower

Description:

A vigorous vine, excellent for quick screening; oddly shaped burgundy-purple flowers, with distinctive white veins and yellow-orange throats; large leaves provide good shade for pergolas or arbors

Ornamental Features

Giant Dutchman's Pipe features unusual fragrant burgundy tubular flowers with white veins along the branches from late spring to early summer. It has attractive green evergreen foliage. The large glossy heart-shaped leaves are highly ornamental and remain green throughout the winter. It produces tan capsules in late summer.

Landscape Attributes

Giant Dutchman's Pipe is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen woody vine with a twining and trailing habit of growth. Its strikingly bold and coarse texture can be very effective in a balanced landscape composition.

This woody vine will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Giant Dutchman's Pipe is recommended for the following landscape applications;

  • Hedges/Screening
  • General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Giant Dutchman's Pipe will grow to be about 20 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. As a climbing vine, it tends to be leggy near the base and should be underplanted with low-growing facer plants. It should be planted near a fence, trellis or other landscape structure where it can be trained to grow upwards on it, or allowed to trail off a retaining wall or slope. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This woody vine does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This species is not originally from North America.

 
 
Hardiness Zone Plant Height Minimum Sunlight
Characteristics
Screening  Garden 
Applications
Flowers  Fruit  Foliage Color  Texture 
Ornamental Features