Dutchmans Pipe?

[Kyle Barker]

Anyone use this plant in cages? Any hints on getting it to bloom?

Kyle

[Mark Pepper]

HI Kyle, before you read any further what I am about to type is based on very foggy memory work at best.

I think i read somewhere about dutchmans pipe growing in some sort of association with with the root system of certain species of trees, possibly gaining nutruents from the roots themselves, or from fungus growing on the roots. I could be way off here and probably am, but if any of this is true i doubt that they would grow well in the terrarium.

In any case i consider them to be one of our coolest native plants.

[Kyle Barker]

That sounds really interesting. I have grown it in pots, only using crap dirt and fertilizers. If you remember anymore please tell me.

kyle

[Mark Pepper]

Thats very interesting Kyle, I thought that they would have been rather short lived out of their natural environs. I have an article or something about them lieing around somewhere, ill try to did it up this weekend and post some more them

[Kyle Barker]

Ive heard that they are hard to grow also, but i had no problems (really shouldnt of gotten rid of it). The ones at crystal garden are doing GREAT, they are huge, but i would imagine all that light would make anything grow.

kyle

[Mark Pepper]

how were they keeping them at crystal gardens? what were they using for lighting, compact flourescent, natural sun?
thanks

[Kyle Barker]

They were in the butterfly room, ill get pics next time im there. The whole building is glass roof, so TONS of nat. sun. They also have a dozen or so metal halide or sodium type lights in there. Also all 4 sides are glass so light pours in them too. As far as i know they are just growing in normal dirt, ill try to find the gardner. You should see those things, they prune them back every once in a while, and in a few months its like 20 feet again. And they have the NICEST flowers, i dont know how they do it.

kyle

[Mark Pepper]

I wonder if we are talking about the same plant here. Im talking about a small native plant thats pretty near all white, and around 20 " tall...now im confused, what does this one look like?

[Kyle Barker]

Large purple flower, lives in florida.

kyle

[Mark Pepper]

Hey Kyle,

sorry, I was really srewed up on this one, the whole time i was thinking of the Indian pipe plant, Monotropa uniflora not the dutchmans pipe, sorry for the confusions. Shame on me!

[Kyle Barker]

LOL! No prob.

kyle

[Mark Pepper]

thanks for the pic, lol, we couldnt have been talking about two more completely different plants if we tried.

[Duncan]

Hi Mark,

It sounds to me like you're talking about Indian Pipe, Monotropa uniflora. A saprophytic native plant that has no chlorophyl, getting its nourishment from decomposing leaf litter. It sounds like Kyle is talking about Dutchman's Pipe or Calico Flower,
Aristolochia elegans, a vine that grows about the size he described. Incidently, there is another Dutchman's pipe that looks a lot like a bleeding heart.

Hope this helps,

Duncan

[Duncan]

Oops, looks like you beat me to it Kyle!

Duncan

[Kyle Barker]

Got any pics of that bleeding heart one? And yes they are completely different, next time i ask i will include pics from the begin