California Dutchman's Pipe
Aristolochia californica
The flowers use a 'trap-and-release' mechanism, holding fungus gnats captive with downward-pointing hairs until pollination is complete.
- Scientific name
- Aristolochia californica
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Piperales › Aristolochiaceae › Aristolochia
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Riparian woodlands, moist canyons, and oak forests below 700 meters.
- Diet
- Photosynthetic (Sunlight, water, and soil nutrients).
- Range
- Northern California, Sacramento Valley, San Francisco Bay Area, Sierra Nevada foothills
- Size
- Woody vine reaching 1.5 to 6 meters in length.
- Lifespan
- Perennial, living for 20+ years.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, urban development, and competition from invasive vining plants.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to touch and observe. However, the plant is highly toxic if ingested, containing aristolochic acid which causes severe kidney damage. Do not consume any part of the plant. Safe to photograph and enjoy from a distance.
Aristolochia californica , the California pipevine or California Dutchman's-pipe is a perennial woody vine of western North America.
Photo: peganum, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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