Aristolochia steupii

Description

An interesting, cold hardy Dutchman’s pipe with an upright or trailing vine habit, but short in stature.

Eye-catching ‘pipe-like’ typical flowers (hence the generic name Dutchman’s pipe) arise along the upright leafy stems in late spring, with the first one flowering at ground level, probably to favor the pollination. 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 with its ‘relatives’: A. iberica, Asarum, Saruma, or in any other like-plants company – noticed the Podophyllum pleianthum leaf in one of the pictures with A. iberica.

Germination: from dry seeds the germination was very poor so they 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.