Butterfly Flower
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.
Also called Poorman's Orchid.
Toxicity is partly unassessed
- Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
What the sources say about its care
- Light
- Full sunRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Well-drained or Moist but well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H1C — 5–10°C 5–10 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Chalk, Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Routine care
- Watering
- Under glass, give full light but shade it from hot sun, and use a peat-free potting compost that is loam-based; give moderate water and feed every 2 weeks with a liquid fertiliser high in potassium.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- Under glass, give full light but shade from hot sun, and grow in loam-based, peat-free potting compost; water moderately and feed every 2 weeks with a high-potassium liquid fertiliser.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- SeedNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Sow seed in mid-spring for plants that flower from summer to autumn; sow in late summer for container plants under glass that flower in winter.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Pinch out young tips for bushier growth and cut back once flowering ends; flowering stems may need support.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Under glass, aphids can occur. Diseases: usually none.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Schizanthus pinnatus, called butterfly flower or poor man's orchid, names it shares with other members of its genus, is a species of flowering plant in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. It is native to Chile and naturalized elsewhere. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit as an ornamental.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- C. & S. ChileWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026ChileNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- temperateWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- annual or biennialWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Annual; habit erectNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Clump forming (deciduous)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 12–18 in; width 9–12 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 0.1-0.5 metres; spread 0.1-0.5 metres after 1 yearRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers gold/yellow, pink, purple/lavender, red/burgundy, white; blooms in spring, summerNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers white in spring, summer and autumn; yellow in spring, summer and autumn; pink in spring, summer and autumn; purple in spring, summer and autumnRHS · read 13 September 2026
More of the Solanaceae family
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Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.