Also called Birthwort, Indian Root, Indianroot, Watson’s Dutchman’s Pipe, Southwestern Pipevine
Watson's dutchman's pipe is a small, inconspicuous perennial vine-like plant of desert and dry shrubland in the southwestern US and northern Mexico. It is grown mainly by enthusiasts of native and butterfly-host plants, and is best kept dry and sunny in a well-drained spot.
Family
Aristolochiaceae (Aristolochi family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Water sparingly during the growing season and let the soil dry out fully between waterings.
Soil
Fast-draining sandy or gritty soil, such as a cactus or desert mix.
Temperature
18–35 °C; protect below 0 °C
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Toxic: All parts contain aristolochic acids, which are toxic and can damage the kidneys if swallowed.
Native range
Arizona to SW. New Mexico and N. Mexico (to Colima)
Climate
desert or dry shrubland
About
Aristolochia watsonii (Watson's Dutchman's pipe, southwestern pipevine, Indian root, snakeroot) is a perennial plant in the birthwort family (Aristolochiaceae), found growing among plants of the Arizona Uplands in the Sonoran Desert. The plant is inconspicuous, small and hard to spot, but can be found by following the pipevine swallowtail (blue swallowtail, Battus philenor) which lays eggs on it.
Where it grows
It is found from Arizona to western Texas, in mountains at elevations from 600 to 1,400 m (2,000 to 4,500 ft).
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Aristolochia watsonii by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.