Endodeca serpentaria syn. Aristolochia serpentaria (Virginia snakeroot, Virginia Dutchman’s Pipe)

Description

This low-growing 1″-6″ tall native perennial plant is one of the few larval hosts of the beautiful Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly (in the picture). Its curious purplish flowers are borne at the base of the plant from April to June.  The strange fruit explodes when ripe scattering the seed, producing large patches over time. Leaf shape is variable from heartshaped to arrowshaped. As the name suggests, it was once used as a treatment for snake bites. Plant in moist to dry high calcium soils. (Even if the rest of your garden has acid soil, the areas close to your driveway or foundation are rich in calcium). It is generally deer resistant. We propagated our plants from native populations in Beaufort and Jasper Counties, SC.

It is native to AL , AR , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MD , MI , MO , MS , NC , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , SC , TN , TX , VA , WV