Flower profile
Southwestern pipevine
Aristolochia watsonii
Southwestern pipevine is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Arizona it's most often seen in bloom in January–August.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Arizona
Quick look
Aristolochia watsonii is a perennial plant in the birthwort family (Aristolochiaceae), found growing among plants of the Arizona Uplands in the Sonoran Desert. The plant is inconspicuous, small and hard to spot, but can be found by following the pipevine swallowtail which lays eggs on it.
- It belongs to the Aristolochiaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a vine with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 2 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Arizona. NatureServe
- In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–August. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 1,031 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #102 among the 109 flowers on our Arizona list. iNaturalist
Southwestern pipevine gift ideas
Handmade southwestern pipevine gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Southwestern pipevine art print
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Southwestern pipevine greeting card
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Southwestern pipevine mug
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Southwestern pipevine earrings
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Southwestern pipevine embroidery pattern
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Southwestern pipevine sticker
When does it bloom?
In Arizona, most flowering sightings come in January–August.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G4 Apparently secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Arizona
- Not listed Not on Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arizona. AAC R3-3 App. A
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records southwestern pipevine in 2 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, New Mexico.
Arizona counties with USDA records: Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Yavapai, Yuma.
More Arizona flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ARWA.
- iNaturalist, Aristolochia watsonii: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Aristolochia watsonii (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Arizona: Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025).
- Arizona: Arizona prohibited noxious weeds (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-4-245).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Aristolochia watsonii (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Wendy McCrady via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.