# Aristolochia gigantea



## Occidentalis (Jul 11, 2009)

As a parting gift from the institution I'm currently leaving, I was given a small specimen of _Aristolochia gigantea_. 
After a forum search, I found a few people (Harry most specifically) with this plant. I was wondering if you could share your experiences with it... what do you have it potted in, how fast did it grow for you... what do you do to trim it back, etc. 

And yes, I know it's not a good viv plant. Haha. I plan to grow it up the interior wall of my greenhouse at home.


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

Mine seldom ever flowers and I'm sure it's because I have to remove about 5 bushels of cuttings every summer. It completely engulfs the top of the greenhouse. It grows really fast but mine is planted in the ground. It has a huge corky base. It flowered easily for me the first few years in the greenhouse before it started growing so rampantly. I just can bare to dig it up though. It roots pretty easily from cuttings but they seem to take a while.


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## Occidentalis (Jul 11, 2009)

harrywitmore said:


> Mine seldom ever flowers and I'm sure it's because I have to remove about 5 bushels of cuttings every summer. It completely engulfs the top of the greenhouse. It grows really fast but mine is planted in the ground. It has a huge corky base. It flowered easily for me the first few years in the greenhouse before it started growing so rampantly. I just can bare to dig it up though. It roots pretty easily from cuttings but they seem to take a while.


The one in the greenhouse here is constantly in bloom. It's cut back to about a yard off the base quite often. Not too much luck on its cuttings taking off though. Any tips on that?

I'm worried that since I don't have a place to plant it in the ground, I wont get good growth. Have you heard of anyone having it potted and doing well?


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## RarePlantBroker (Aug 3, 2008)

I've had them flower in 3-gallon pots when they were allowed to really grow. I'd suggest using a container with at least 17" diameter to allow for root development. They flower here in FL when the temps and humidity start really getting high in early summer. I found that the most blooms develop in high light, and after there is at least 10' of growth on the vine. 
Make sure you have some sand in your soil mix. All the Aristolochia sp. I grow or have grown seem to benefit from having a fair amount of silica available. Soil pH isn't really specific, as the vine does equally well in my "palm mix" as it does in the alkali sand in many FL locales. Also, don't let your roots stay wet. This particular species of Aristolochia rots pretty easy (but it is quite drought hardy!).

If you do get yours to start flowering, there are a number of fly species that will pollenate the flower. The seeds, however, rarely develop after germination away from the parent plant. I've hypothesized that there is most likely a symbiotic relationship with a fungus required for development. After sprouting, I've planted seeds in a pot containing a small amount of soil from around the root mass of the parent, and achieved high success rates.


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## RarePlantBroker (Aug 3, 2008)

Sorry, I missed a bit of your last post. The plant won't grow from cuttings, or traditional air layers. I have been able to propogate them by scraping a growth node, applying root tone, and burying/pinning the section of vine near the base of the main plant. Root development in warm/humid environment is enough to remove the portion within 3-4 weeks.


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

Ive only ever grown A. fimbriata, and it only flowers from the very tip of the vine, so pinching or trimming realy delays flowering. Seeds took an exhorbitant length to germinate, almost 60 days. Fimbriata develops a neat carrot looking tuber that Im sure helps gaurd it against drought/ cold


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

RarePlantBroker said:


> Sorry, I missed a bit of your last post. The plant won't grow from cuttings, or traditional air layers. I have been able to propogate them by scraping a growth node, applying root tone, and burying/pinning the section of vine near the base of the main plant. Root development in warm/humid environment is enough to remove the portion within 3-4 weeks.


I hate to disagree but I have rooted many cuttings of this with no hormone. I normally wrap with LFS and place in a pot. It has to stay on a mist bench though and takes quite a while to root. But it does and grows nicely. I have also rooted fimbriata the same way.


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## Occidentalis (Jul 11, 2009)

The plant I received was rooted from a cutting in soil. It was one of the 3 of like 20 that actually took.

Harry, could you type out LFS for me? Unless you are wrapping it in a local fish store, I'm not sure what you're talking about... forgive me.

The plant isn't very large, yet. Should I be keeping it in high humidity at this point? What can I do to get it growing well? It's surviving peers sent up a flower not too long ago, but this one was a little more shaded.


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

LFS= long fiber spaghnum


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

Sorry, I hate acronyms myself. I get lazy every now and then.


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## RarePlantBroker (Aug 3, 2008)

harrywitmore said:


> I hate to disagree but I have rooted many cuttings of this with no hormone. I normally wrap with LFS and place in a pot. It has to stay on a mist bench though and takes quite a while to root. But it does and grows nicely. I have also rooted fimbriata the same way.



No problem Harry. I've never gotten this plant to root from cuttings, they either rot or dry out before root development starts. I'm glad to hear you've been successful.


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

Alasdair, I think it's because they get misted every 30 minutes and are in constant air flow with a humidity of about 80 to 100%. Air movement may be the key.


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