Aristolochia iberica

Description

This is an interesting and cold hardy Dutchman’s pipe which grows happily in our zone 5-6 climate.

A deciduous, trailing vine, short in stature though, with ‘pipe-like’ typical flowers (hence the generic name Dutchman’s pipe) along upright leafy stems in late spring. The flowers are not large but so unusual they make you wanting to look at them again, and again…Definitely a species for the woodland plants collector!

The flowers have hairs which will guide and shortly trap insects for pollination but this doesn’t make it a carnivorous plant, like some are suggesting. The fruits are egg-shaped hard capsules which will split and release the seeds on short notice.

A woodland species; grow it together with any other woodland plants as companions.

Germination: from dry seeds the germination was very poor so these seeds are offered moist packed. They require a slightly warm cycle/moist followed by cold/moist period. Depending on the time of sowing, it may germinate in the second year.
It will start flowering in the third year.