Dutchman's Pipe

Description:

Dutchman’s pipe is a fast-growing vine that can reach 3 m in length. The common name arose from the distinctive flowers that are shaped like a traditional Dutchman’s pipe. These flowers are strikingly coloured reddish-purple and marked with white and yellow. Leaves are up to 75 mm long, glossy green and heart-shaped, growing closely to form a dense mat of foliage. The woody stems are slender and twine tightly in coils around any supporting structure.

Habitat:

Dutchman’s pipe is an environmental weed that is widely promoted as an unusual, easily cultivated ornamental plant. Dutchman’s pipe is a popular novelty in gardens and suburban backyards and has naturalised in several areas of Queensland and northern New South Wales. As an environmental weed, Dutchman’s pipe has a preference for moist, fertile soils making it a prime invader of rainforest habitat.