Why Plants Die
Theme

White Veined Hardy Dutchman's Pipe

Aristolochia fimbriata, Aristolochiaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Also called birthwort.

White Veined Hardy Dutchman's Pipe (Aristolochia fimbriata), the whole plant.
Maja Dumat from Deutschland (Germany), CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

White Veined Hardy Dutchman's Pipe is toxic

  • Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Toxic to people. Toxic when eaten. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it. RHS

What the sources say about its care

Light
Full sun, Partial shade
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Water
Moist but well-drained
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Humidity

No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.

ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%
Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Temperature

How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.

H4 — -10 to -5°C -10 to -5 °C
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or Neutral
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
Toxic when eaten. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
It tolerates full shade, and full sun if it gets enough water.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
It spreads by seeds from the previous season sowing themselves.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Increase from seed or softwood cuttings.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
Pruning is not needed.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Usually free of pests and diseases.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

Loading the simulator. It needs JavaScript; the care table above does not.

About the plant

Aristolochia fimbriata is a species of perennial plant in the family Aristolochiaceae. It is found in Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Argentina. The flowering plant attracts butterflies and is known for its traditional medicinal properties.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
Bolivia to Brazil and NE. Argentina
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Argentina Northeast, Bolivia, Brazil South, Paraguay, Uruguay
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Brazil
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Climate
subtropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
tuberous geophyte
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Ground Cover, Herbaceous Perennial; habit creeping, mounding, multi-stemmed, prostrate
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Climbing, Trailing (deciduous)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 6–12 in; width 18–36 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Height 0.1-0.5 metres; spread 1-1.5 metres after 1 year
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers brown/copper, gold/yellow, green, red/burgundy; blooms in summer
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Flowers brown in summer; green in summer; yellow in summer
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Plants with similar care

Sources

What this does not cover

The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.

Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.

If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.