The carnivorous Butterwort plant is easy to grow in your windowsill or out in your backyard. It is called Pinguicula, which in Latin means “little greasy one.” These plants have green leaves that are broad, covered with small glandular hairs. These tiny hairs produce stick mucilage, which is very greasy when touched. The mucilage attracts small insects, due to the shimmer they give off in the light.
These are just a few of some of the coolest cultivars out there from the Butterwort plant. Many of these plants here involve the Pinguicula moranensis. This is one of the most widely cultivated out of the Pinguicula, because of its pretty flowers, large size, and how easy it can be grown within a container. Since P. moranesis do not naturally cultivate on their own, they tend to crossbreed quite easily while being cultivated. A lot of those that take care of these plants use a soil mix combined of washed sand, vermiculite, gypsum, perlite, peat moss, and decomposed granite. These plants need to be regularly watered during the summer; however, in the winter, they need less water. They enjoy hotter weather and grow better in warmer conditions with a lot of light.
You might also find our other article, Carnivorous Butterwort: Plant Anatomy and How to Grow It, interesting.
There are many kinds of Butterwort plants out there that are registered cultivars by the ICPS with the International Society for Horticultural Science. The oldest Butterworts were registered back in 1986, and some as recent as 2018.
The Butterwort Plant Coolest Cultivars
P. John Rizzi Butterwort Plant
This plant comes from a P. moranensis variety, which was called Superba. Some of these plants, before maturity, were sold as a hummingbird mix. When John Rizzi grew one of the plants to its full size, it was shown to have very large, full blooms of dark pink petals. This made him decide to preserve these specimens and grow more of this kind of Pinguicula.
P. agnate x (moranensis x ehlersiae)/Pirouette
This plant, which was produced by Leo Song, has short, oval leaves with pinkish blue flowers that have dark veins. It is a full-petaled plant with beautiful rosettes from its pink flowers. Its leaves are an olive-pink color and have deep, pointed, and folded areas around them. This makes the leaves in the summer a diamond shape. These leaves can range from being pink to light green, depending on its light source.
P. rotundiflora esseriana
This crossbreed Mexican Pinguicula has small, pinkish-blue flowers that are compacted miniatures. Their leaves in the winter are rosettes that are very small clusters. One of its “parents” is native to Mexico, specifically in San Luis Potosi.
P. rotundiflora x hemiepiphytica
This hybrid’s summer rosettes are two and a half inches across. These have dark pink leaves with blood-red areas. The flowers are a purplish color and are three-quarter inches across. This beautiful plant tends to grow on tree trunks that are covered in moss.
P. laueana x cyclosecta
This purple plant has tiny flowers that are lavender in color and boasts of dark purple veins. Its features include olive-purple leaves in the summer that are small and round in shape. This Butterwort hybrid is Mexican and has carnivorous leaves during the summer and smaller leaves in winter.
Caring For The Pinguicula or Butterwort Plant
All of these Pinguiculas have something in common, other than being Butterworts; they also share similar care regimes. There are a few things you need to know about taking care of your carnivorous plants.
Soil Recipes
If you are caring for temperate plants, they need two parts peat, one-part perlite, and one-part sand. Warmer temperate plants are better in soil that is one-part sand to one-part peat. These plants can also be more on the tropical side, and they prefer equal parts in perlite, pumice, sand, and one-part peat. You may want to add gypsum or dolomite to the soil mix, which is not required, but some P. gypsicola prefer gypsum.
Don't feel like mixing your own carnivorous soils?
We recommend these options from Amazon for Butterworts
Ceramic Containers
For containers, you will want to use fully glazed or plastic ceramics. They need to have drainage holes for most varieties of Pinguicula. However, some warm temperate plants can survive in containers that do not drain, though you will want to let the water level vary from time to time.
Water and Light
The warm and temperate Pinguiculas need to grow on a consistently wet tray system that allows it to be watered frequently. This water needs to be cold instead of warm. However, Mexican can be in a tray system during the summer and autumn. Though when its rosettes become smaller in the winter, the soil needs to be more dry than wet. P. agnate and moranensis need slightly damp soil during the winter, whereas Pinguiculas that have smaller rosettes throughout winter need to be completely dry.
Aside from temperate Pinguiculas, these plants need a bright light or mostly sunny areas to live in. Temperate ones do not like to be too warm during the summer, so keep an eye on them from roasting.
Climate Issue with Butterwort Plant
The tropical, warm temperate, and temperate Butterworts grow outside in their specific climates, as their names suggest. However, Mexican Butterworts can survive dry, cool winters compared to the temperate zones. Though Mexican Butterworts need to be a bit cooler during the summer at nighttime for best results.
