Meaning & use
Dutchman's pipe
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A climbing vine whose flowers are bent into a curved, pipe-like shape, often grown over walls and trellises.
Grammar: Countable: one Dutchman's pipe, two Dutchman's pipes; the plural usually means two plants, not two flowers.
Patterns
- grow Dutchman's pipe over something
- a Dutchman's pipe vine
- Dutchman's pipe flowers
She planted Dutchman's pipe along the back fence so it would cover the bare wall.
The Dutchman's pipe in the corner of the garden has strange curved flowers that look like small pipes.
Dutchman's pipe grows quickly in warm, sheltered spots.
nouncountable or uncountabletechnical
The common name for several related plants of the birthwort family, especially Aristolochia species.
Grammar: Used as a name for the group; in scientific writing the Latin name Aristolochia is preferred.
Patterns
- the Dutchman's pipe family
- species of Dutchman's pipe
Several species of Dutchman's pipe are native to North America.
Gardeners often confuse one Dutchman's pipe with another because the leaves look similar.
In botanical guides, Dutchman's pipe is listed under the genus Aristolochia.
Word forms
| plural | Dutchman's pipes |
|---|
Common combinations
- grow Dutchman's pipe
- They grow Dutchman's pipe up the side of the garage.
- Dutchman's pipe vine
- A Dutchman's pipe vine can reach the top of a low wall in one season.
- pipe-shaped flowers
- The pipe-shaped flowers of Dutchman's pipe give the plant its name.
- hardy Dutchman's pipe
- Hardy Dutchman's pipe survives cold winters in many gardens.
Synonyms and how they differ
- birthwort
- A broader name for plants in the same family; it covers many species, while Dutchman's pipe refers especially to the pipe-flowered kinds.
Word family
- Dutchman noun
- A man from the Netherlands; the plant's name comes from the old idea that the flower looks like a Dutch smoker's pipe.
Commonly confused: Dutchman's pipe or pipevine?
Dutchman's pipe vs pipevine
Pipevine is another name used for some of these plants, but it can also refer to the vine eaten by pipevine swallowtail butterflies; Dutchman's pipe is the more specific garden name.
Practice
Which sentence uses the plant name correctly?
Choose one answer.
Dutchman's pipe is a climbing vine, so it fits a trellis. It is not a small table plant, a drinking pipe, or an animal, so the other options do not match its meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Dutchman's pipe”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.