Common Name: California Pipevine, California Snakeroot
Family: Aristolochiaceae Juss.
Country of Origin: northern California USA (endemic)
Habitat: riparian streambank areas in chaparral
Description: The larva of the endemic California pipevine swallowtail butterfly (Battus philenor hirsuta) relies on the California pipevine as its only food source. The red-spotted black caterpillars consume the leaves of the plants, and then use the flowers as a secure, enclosed place to undergo metamorphosis. The plant contains a toxin which when ingested by the caterpillars makes them unpalatable to predators.3