Native Dutchman’s Pipe is a woody vine (a liana) native to rainforests in northern Australia and south-east Asia. Concerned that conditions at my home might be a bit tough for this large- and soft-leaved species, I prepared a site well before planting three rather pot-bound and sickly tubestock – the best I could get hold of – in Sept. 2013. I needn’t have worried! Within 6 months they were 4 m tall and I was already training them around the railing of my elevated balcony. Now, 15 months on, they’re 8 m long, are producing their second crop of flowers, I need to trim them frequently and I’m beginning to wonder if they’re too large for the selected location.
Native Dutchman’s Pipe is a foodplant of the caterpillar of the spectacular Cairns Birdwing butterfly, and this was my motive for planting them. Though my home is outside the normal habitat of the butterfly, the odd one passes through and I hope (perhaps optimistically) to persuade them to stay.
In case you're wondering, that's a flower that features in this image.