Vine

This deciduous, woody, climbing vine is an eastern American native which typically occurs in the wild in rich, moist woods and along streams. Can rapidly grow to 20-30'. An old-fashioned favorite that is grown for its large, heart-shaped, densely overlapping leaves (6-12" long) which can quickly cover an arbor or trellis with attractive, glossy, deep green foliage. Commonly called Dutchman's pipe because the unusual, 2" long, yellowish-green flowers (each flaring at the calyx mouth to form 3 brownish-purple lobes) superficially resemble Dutch smoking pipes. Although the flowers make interesting conversation pieces, they are usually hidden by the dense foliage and are somewhat inconspicuous.