Aristolochia elegans "Calico Flower"

A twining vine with super cool flowers. The maroon & white pattern was thought to look like calico fabric, hence the common name. Actually, the pattern is meant to look like rotting flesh to attract pollinators. Yuck! But the flower is very pretty nonetheless! (Luckily the flowers don’t smell like rotting meat like many similarly colored flowers do.) Each flower is pretty large - 3-4” wide. Behind the open, flat face is a curving tubular white section that, if viewed from the side, is very Dutchman’s Pipe-esque. Blooms Spring through Summer. An evergreen twining vine, it grows to 10’ or taller. It blooms on new growth so it may benefit by being cut back low in Winter so the new blooms are more at eye level. All parts are poisonous to humans so don’t eat! From Brazil.

Kelly Kilpatrick Propagator