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Aristolochia elegans
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.
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.
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