When I was wandering in the garden the other day, I noticed these gorgeous wildflowers growing in the shade of some of the almond trees. Strangely enough, there is just this one patch of them, and I’ve never noticed them before! They are a purple/brown colour (some with a yellow/beige interior), have heart shaped leaves, and are a climber/vine.
I looked in my flower book, but couldn’t identify them, so I posted a photo onto Facebook and sure enough, someone knew what they were – Aristolochia baetica.
According to Wikipedia they belong to the Aristolochia/birthwort family, with their common names “Dutchman’s pipe” and “pipevine” being an allusion to old-fashioned meerschaum pipes at one time common in the Netherlands and Northern Germany.
“Birthwort” (e.g. European birthwort A. clematitis) refers to these species’ flower shape, resembling a birth canal.
I think they look like a bird’s nest full of baby birds with their beaks open, waiting to be fed! What do YOU think?
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East of Málaga 
We have some of these but you seem to have a real display. Wonderful photos of that odd little plant.
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They are beautiful. Unique and exotic. I’ve seen trumpets but this is my first to see pipe shape blooms.
It was my first look at them too! They are gorgeous though, aren’t they?
What interesting flowers, Marianne. Isn’t it amazing what nature comes up with? 🙂
It surely is 🙂
Great photos – they are rather crazy-looking, aren’t they? Once a botanist explained how they’re pollinated and it was so complicated, with so many intricate steps, that I couldn’t remember what he said. Nature is fantastic!
I guess they are a little crazy-looking, yes.
Nature is indeed wonderful 🙂
That is so unique and beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing, Marianne!
My pleasure, Amy 🙂
Yeah “look like a bird’s nest full of baby birds with their beaks open, waiting to be fed”
totally agree with you, I didn’t know these flower – but no doubt, they “scream” for feed… 😉 😉
Very well captured… 😉
Well, if they do “scream for food” they will be disappointed, as I have never fed them!
Thanks Drake 🙂
such fascinating plants Marianne … i really like the muted colours .. i have grown something similar Aristolochia elegans, which has different colours 🙂 here is a link … apparently it can be a weed over here http://www.weeds.org.au/cgi-bin/weedident.cgi?tpl=plant.tpl&state=&s=&card=V14
OHHH they look interesting, Christine! The flowers are quite a bit bigger than mine here in Spain.
I haven’t planted this clump in my garden (well, when I say garden – it’s not like a cultivated garden in a town. We live in the countryside – so close in to the house it’s more cultivated – but where these flowers are growing is in a more “natural” area, towards the edge of our land) – so I guess some people might call them weeds. I call them beautiful wildflowers, and I’m sure you do too 🙂
yes, me too 🙂
They do look like baby birds waiting to be fed! Gorgeous. Do they have an aroma?
🙂
No, they don’t, Gemma.
I agree with ChgoJohn – the are very cool, and a bit spooky. Clever design for attracting insects, and water I assume. I love taking a walk through a garden, even vicariously 🙂
Yes, they ARE a bit spooky, EllaDee, but they certainly made me take noticed when I spotted them 🙂
How amazing, Marianne. I think they look like all those things, but I love your description the best. 🙂
Cheep, cheep 😉
How cool are they? These blooms are reminiscent of some Sci-Fi film from the ’50’s, Marianne. I know if I saw a vase with nothing but the blooms, I’d surely think they were fake. Thanks for sharing.
Hmmmm … very cool indeed!
Ah yes, I think I know the kind of film you mean, John – they are a little like something out of ¨The Day of the Triffids” 🙂
Have never seen anything like these Marianne! They are beautiful!
I´ve just been outside to have another look at them, Madhu. I´m sure they wont be there for long, so I have to make the best of them 🙂
I adore them!