{"title":"Aristolochia","description":"\u003cp\u003eMany of you are familiar with the exotic plant genus Aristolochia as butterfly garden vines with bizarre, albeit often hidden, flowers that are especially \u003ca title=\"Shop all butterfly attracting plants\" href=\"https:\/\/www.plantdelights.sbs\/collections\/butterfly-garden-plants-flowers-that-attract-butterflies\"\u003eattractive to swallowtail butterflies\u003c\/a\u003e. Aristolochia has been a popular perennial flowering plant since the Victorian times when porches all over England were covered by the vine. The genus Aristolochia is quite large with over 500 species and among those are some very nice hardy perennial plants with showy flowers.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIf you have never seen an Aristolochia flower, then you are in for a real treat. The flowers of most of the species look a lot like a Dutch meerschaum pipe and can be quite colorful with combinations of white, purple and yellow. The shape of the Aristolochia flower also led to its other common name, birthwort, because it reportedly looks like a birth canal. According to the medieval philosophy, the Doctrine of Signatures, plants that looked like human body parts were believed to have utility as a medicine for that part of the body. In the case of Aristolochia, this is unfortunate because they are poisonous to humans and can cause severe kidney damage and death if ingested.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eAristolochia is easy to grow since it thrives in a wide variety of non-saturated soils. Where happy, Aristolochia will re-seed and provide you with plenty to share with friends and butterflies alike. Try combining Aristolochia with other \u003ca title=\"Learn about butterfly plants\" href=\"https:\/\/www.plantdelights.sbs\/blogs\/articles\/butterfly-garden-plants-host-attract-butterflies\"\u003ebutterfly plants\u003c\/a\u003e such as asclepias and \u003ca title=\"buddleia\" href=\"https:\/\/www.plantdelights.sbs\/blogs\/articles\/butterfly-bush-buddleia-davidii-plant-buddleja\"\u003ebuddleia\u003c\/a\u003e to make a butterfly buffet. When you are ready to buy aristolochia for your perennial garden, check out our online offering of aristolochia for sale.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"aristolochia-fimbriata","title":"Aristolochia fimbriata","description":"\u003cp\u003eAristolochia fimbriata is a really cool deciduous groundcover Dutchman's pipe that spreads out to 2'. The prostrate little green stems are clothed with medium green rounded leaves, each highlighted with dramatic silver veining. The cute, little, 1\" long, yellow and brown flowers resemble miniature elephant trunks and are produced along the stem all summer. In winter, the stems retreat back to the base so there are no invasive problems with this gem! The only \"ornamental\" downside is that aristolochia is a delicacy for pipevine swallowtail butterfly larvae in midsummer...less foliage, but more butterflies!\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis delicate little trailer grows from a 6\" long carrot-like taproot. It must store enough food to allow regrowth of new stems after being eaten by pipevine swallowtail butterfly larvae. It is likely that the larger a planting of pipevine plants is, the more likely that they will be utilized by Pipevine Swallowtail Butterflies. So don't plant just one, plant masses of them. You will get plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful foliage and the occasional flower and then the miracle of caterpillars becoming butterflies and the knowledge that you supported a native butterfly and fellow traveler on this planet.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe fruit of this species are fascinating as well, opening from the top of the fruit they resemble the gondola of a hot-air balloon.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a very low maintenance plant, requiring only a sunny location with average drainage. It will tolerate a dry site. It completely disappears in winter, returning each spring. Propagation is by seed.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSome species of Aristolochia are known as birthwort, as some were used to assist birth. Aristolochia means \"well born\". (And \"wort\" is Old English for plant.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWatch our \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=mtP5XNOl34g\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ePlant Spotlight\u003c\/a\u003e video for more information. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Delights Nursery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":21025099333,"sku":"3031","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1527\/8799\/files\/Aristolochia-fimbriata.i-3031.s-62089.r-1.jpg?v=1791578814"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1527\/8799\/collections\/arostolochia.png?v=1654095056","url":"https:\/\/www.plantdelights.sbs\/collections\/aristolochia.oembed","provider":"Plant Delights Nursery","version":"1.0","type":"link"}