The Pipevines
Aristolochia spp.
Family: Aristolochiaceae
Aristolochia comprises some 545 species of mostly viney plants widespread across many different habitats around the world, from small, ground hugging desert plants to very high-climbing tropical vines. Many plants are ground-hugging plants, though still viney. One species is native to Arizona, but there are several more native in the southwest USA and Mexico.
These flowers have a specialized pollination mechanism. The plants are aromatic and their strong scent attracts insects. The inner part of the perianth tube is covered with hairs, acting as a fly-trap. These hairs then wither to release the fly, covered with pollen.
Pipevines are larval hosts for the following species:
White Dotted Cattleheart (Parides alopius)
Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)
Polydamos Swallowtail (Battus polydamas)
The genus Aristolochia was developed from Ancient Greek aristos "best" + locheia, childbirth or childbed, relating to its known ancient use in childbirth.
Aristolochia californica
California Pipevine
A deciduous vine that climbs 5-20’ high or more. The plant blooms January through April just before the foliage appear—large, heart-shaped leaves.
Grow in filtered or part sun, moderate to regular water with good drainage. The top is damaged at temperatures into the low 20s°F, but the plant is root hardy at least into the teens °F.
The California pipevine's flowers have a musty unpleasant odor which is attractive to tiny carrion-feeding insects. The insects crawl into the convoluted flowers and often become stuck and disoriented for some time, picking up pollen as they wander. Most eventually escape. The plant is not insectivorous, as was formerly thought. Fungus gnats (Mycetophilidae) may prove to be the effective pollinators.
The vine is endemic to northern California along riparian streambank areas, in chaparral, oak woodland, and mixed evergreen forest habitats below 2300’ in elevation.
Specific epithet is in obvious reference to this species being native to the State of California.
Aristolochia fimbriata
White-Lined Pipevine
Small, viney groundcover spreading 2-3’ wide, only about a food tall. May occasionally climb small substrates. Gorgeous flowers appear in warm weather.
Part sun to shady spots are ideal, with regular water. Evergreen until the temperatures dip into the mid 20s °F for a good amount of time, but root hardy to around 0°F. Great container plant.
This plant has a long history of medicinal use.
This species is found in Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Argentina.
Aristolochia littoralis is native to coastal areas in South America, notably in Brazil but also found from Columbia and Ecuador south to Argentina.
The specific epithet is Latin meaning "of the seashore" in reference to where this plant is often found.
Aristolochia littoralis
Calico-flower
A quick-growing, tender evergreen vine that can grow to 6 feet or more in length with kidney or heart-shaped thin, dark green leaves that are attached to the stems by long petioles. In the summer though late fall appear the flowers suspended from the stems by long stalks with greenish-yellow tubes at the end of which a large saucer-shaped cream face with a heart-shaped base is mottled with a deep purple-brown pattern on the inside and with the outside patterned with reddish-purple veins.
This plant is known to grow best in partial shade with evenly moist soil but will grow and look quite presentable with half day morning sun and only occasional irrigation. It is cold hardy to at least 25 degrees F for short durations - our garden plant survived the 1990 freeze when temperatures dropped to below 20°F.
Aristolochia quercetorum
Oak Woodland Pipevine
This is usually a ground-hugging vine that covers the ground, but only grows a few inches high. Small brown flowers resemble a rodent’s ear and probably has a similar pollination strategy as our Arizona native Aristolochia (A. watsonii).
Part sun, moderate water, hardiness unknown but plants have been grown at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum for decades with no problem.
Very little is known about this species.
The native range of this species is Mexico. It grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome, especially in oak woodlands.
The species name, quercetorum, references an oak grove, forest of oaks, an oak-wood referring to some of the preferred habitat this species is found in.
Aristolochia tomentosa
Woolly Pipevine
deciduous, woody, climbing, and twining vine. It grows rapidly to 20-30 feet tall. The leaves are large, heart-shaped, and very dense. They have wooly hairs on the upper and lower surfaces. Their blooms appear in mid to late spring and are usually hidden by the foliage. The blooms are hairy, yellow, or yellowish-green with purplish-lobes. In the fall the plant produces a grayish-brown, cylinder-like capsule that contains many seeds.
Plant in filtered sun, provide regular water (don’t let soil dry out) and good drainage. Hardy at least into the teens °F.
It is native to central and the southern United States. It is typically seen in moist woods, thickets, or along streams or riverbanks.
The species name, tomentosa, is Latin and means "covered with densely matted wooly hairs." This refers to the wooly hairs on the leaf surfaces, blooms, and stems of the plant.
Aristolochia watsonii
Watson’s Duthman Pipe
Small, semi-evergreen trailing herb.
Full to part sun, low to moderate water, hardiness unknown but native to about 4500’ elevation.
Larval host plant for the pipevine swallowtail (Battus philenor). Pollinated by Ceratopogonid flies—the flowers of dutchman’s pipe resemble a mouses ear; the fly enters thinking it will get a meal (they suck blood from their ears) but get trapped in flowers overnight. The flower releases pollen onto the fly and lets it go in the morning. There are hundreds of species of Aristolochia, all have cool pollination stories.
Found in gravely soils, along rocks in drier areas from 2,000-4,500’ in Arizona, southern New Mexico; south into northern Mexico.
The species name of this Aristolochia is watsonii, named for Sereno Watson (1826-1892) an assistant to Asa Gray.
Photo by Sue Carnahan, SEINET
Aristolochia watsonii on iNaturalist
Aristolochia wrightii
Wright’s Pipevine
Small, ground-hugging vine that barely gets over a foot tall, unless it climbs a substrate. Slender flowers appear almost any time of year.
Part sun, moderate water, good drainage. Hardiness unknown but definitely hardy for our region.
Native to New Mexico, Texas, and adjacent Mexico below 6000’, usually on rocky slopes.
The species epithet "wrightii" was named after American botanist Charles Wright (1811 - 1885).