Christia obcordata
Butterfly Plant

seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from Sweden

seen from Argentina

seen from Sweden
seen from China
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Germany
seen from Hungary

seen from United Kingdom

seen from Türkiye

seen from Türkiye

seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United States

seen from Ukraine
Christia obcordata
Butterfly Plant
Care Guide from seed: Christia obcordata, Swallowtail plant, Batgrass
Life Cycle: Perennial USDA Hardiness Zone: 11a Light Exposure: Partial shade or Partial sun Soil: Well-drained, but keep consistently moist, but not too moist or waterlogged Sowing: Lightly covered with soil
Germination time: 2 weeks Time to Flower: Unknown Time to Fruit Maturity: Unknown Fruit Maturity Signs: Husks are completely dried out Self Pollinating/Fertile: Unknown (Will update if mine end up flowering)
Container cultivation: Seems to do okay in 4-inch containers, though larger containers may be needed for larger specimens.
Christia obcordata is a tropical member of the Legume family, coveted for its butterfly-shaped leaves with purple stripes. This species is highly variable, with some plants having the rounded triangular leaves that mine are showing, while others have the more boomerang-like chevron leaves of its sister species, Christia vespertilionis. The leaves even feel like soft velvet! As opposed to the rough, papery leaves of C. vesperilionis.
Care for this species ended up being trickier than the other species. Mine all ended up getting browned tips and faded leaves after they had fully expanded. At first I thought it was too much light, but it seems to be a watering and nutrient issue. A cutting I rooted and planted in more free-draining soil ended up doing much better than its mother plant.
The watering my current specimen responds best to is to wait for the soil to dry out a bit, and then water from the bottom by adding water to the sauce so that the bottom of the planter is just barely touching the water to allow wicking.
Care pages have this plant listed as a full shade plant, but it seems to enjoy brighter light, and needs it in order to show the vivid purple stripes clearly. I’ve seen comments online from people who say they’ve kept theirs in full sun, but I have yet to try this because I’m nervous about accidentally frying mine.
details @ christian siriano spring 2020
Imagine being hesitant to tell Loki that you’re a Christian, fearing his reaction because you’re used to people reacting with anger, ridicule, or ignorance to your faith. To your surprise he actually responds positively when you tell him, and is even interested in your faith.
Genie in a Bottle- PMJ
Follow me @kopakapi
https://www.instagram.com/kopakapi/