ARISTOLOCHIA MAXIMA

This is another interesting Dutchman's Pipe known by the scientific name Aristolochia maxima. The pipes are small and the flared opening is hirsute or hairy!

ARISTOLOCHIA RINGENS

These strings of unusual looking Gaping Dutchman's Pipe remind me so much of pelicans with wide open beaks. The 3 of them in a vertical column were also in different stages of development and one can see how the "beak" unfolds itself from bottom to top as the pouch increases in size.

ARISTOLOCHIA RINGENS

When I saw the numerous opened flowers of the Gaping Dutchman's Pipe from the Aristolochiaceae Family, I was so bowled over by the plant. Finally, months or even a year of planting it is bearing fruit, or rather flower.

The Aristolochia really have interesting flowers shaped like a pipe. This particular species have lime green coloured leaves that are heart-shaped and smooth-textured. On its own, it is attractive plant to grow. But with the flowers, which remind me more of a bird i.e. the pelican with an open beak, it was really worth the long wait.

2 links are shown below for reference on the plant:

1. http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/gaping_dutchmans_pipe.htm
2. http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Gaping%20Dutchman's%20Pipe.html