Aristolochia pistolochia is a herbaceous plant in the family Aristolochiaceae endemic to Mediterranean areas across southwest Europe. Leaves are ovate-triangular, sharp to marginalized with cartilaginous margins, with a glaucous underside and very marked nerves. Flowers are yellow on the outside and dark reddish or green on the inside. It is similar to Aristolochia paucinervis, but can be easily distinguished by its thick, jagged leaf border.
The biggest need of Dutchman’s pipe vine care is plenty of water. Do not allow the soil to dry out completely when caring for pipe vines in containers. Plants in the ground will also need supplemental watering.
Pruning of Dutchman’s pipe may also be necessary to keep its growth manageable. Pruning dutchman’s pipe is not too difficult or complicated. You can do minimal pruning whenever you want to remove any dead or diseased branches. You can clean up the dutchman’s pipe vine by removing damaged or crossed branches, which will give your vine a better look. In the summertime, after the vine is done flowering, you have an opportunity for more intensive dutchman’s pipe pruning. At this time, you can cut back the shoots and prune back some of the old growth to the ground. This helps make the plant a little heartier for the next season. In the spring, pruning dutchman’s pipe will help to encourage new growth and it will improve the flowering since dutchman’s pipe vine flowers grow on new wood. Pinch back young growth to promote thicker plants.
