Lentibulariaceae
Mexican Butterwort (Pinguicula moranensis)
Pinguicula moranensis
An easy carnivorous plant for a bright windowsill. Water with distilled or rain water while it has sticky leaves and almost stop once it forms its winter rosette. Open mineral mix, optional feeding, and protection from frost.
Every 4 days
Bright indirect
5° - 35°C
% - %
Categories
What is Mexican butterwort?
Mexican butterwort (Pinguicula moranensis) is a easy-care plant from the Lentibulariaceae family. Pinguicula moranensis is a perennial carnivorous plant from Mexico and Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras), where it grows in oak and pine-oak woodland between 800 and 3200 m, often on limestone, moss, damp rock faces or even tree trunks. It changes shape with the seasons: in the r...
Mexican butterwort grows up to 25cm, spread of 20cm, watering every 4 days, 5°C – 35°C. It is suitable for indoor environments and safe for pets.
Unlike many tropical plants, Mexican butterwort tolerates watering mistakes. Best for beginners. Unlike many popular species, Mexican butterwort is safe to keep around pets. Without adequate drainage, root rot can develop within 8 days.
How to Care for Mexican butterwort?
TLDR: Mexican butterwort needs Bright indirect, watering every 4 days, and temperatures between 5-35°C with 40-70% humidity.
How Often Should You Water Mexican butterwort?
In spring and summer keep the mix moist with distilled, rain or reverse osmosis water; a saucer with 1-2 cm of water works. When the winter rosette appears, keep the mix nearly dry and only dampen it lightly now and then. Go back to normal watering only when new sticky leaves appear, since too much water during rest rots the plant.
How Much Light Does Mexican butterwort Need?
Plenty of light: a bright window with some gentle sun, or grow lights. Good light turns the leaves pink. Avoid strong midday summer sun, which can scorch it.
What Is the Best Soil for Mexican butterwort?
Open, free-draining mix of equal parts washed sand, perlite, vermiculite and peat; some growers add pumice, lava rock or gypsum. Unlike most carnivorous plants, it tolerates lime.
What Pot Should You Use for Mexican butterwort?
A small, shallow plastic or glazed ceramic pot with drainage holes; the roots are small and mostly just anchor the plant.
What Is Mexican butterwort and Where Does It Come From?
Pinguicula moranensis is a perennial carnivorous plant from Mexico and Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras), where it grows in oak and pine-oak woodland between 800 and 3200 m, often on limestone, moss, damp rock faces or even tree trunks. It changes shape with the seasons: in the rainy season it forms a flat rosette of 6 to 8 large, fleshy, sticky leaves, 5 to 13 cm long, covered in glands that trap and digest gnats and other small insects. In the dry season, from October to May, it swaps them for a tight rosette of small succulent leaves with no glue. It flowers twice a year, with single pink, purple or violet flowers (white in var. alba) on stalks 10 to 25 cm tall.
How to Propagate Mexican butterwort?
Leaf pulling
Succulent winter leaves root more reliably than sticky summer leaves. Use mineral-free water.
- 1 Gently pull whole leaves from the winter rosette, including the base
- 2 Lay them flat on moist sand and peat mix or on moss
- 3 Keep in bright light and high humidity, for example in a closed box
- 4 Pot up the plantlets once they have several leaves
Materials needed:
Seed
The seed is tiny and needs light to germinate.
- 1 Scatter the seed on the surface of moist mix without covering it
- 2 Keep in bright light and high humidity
- 3 Water from below with distilled water
- 4 Pot on when seedlings form rosettes
Materials needed:
How Big Does Mexican butterwort Grow?
TLDR: Mexican butterwort can reach up to 25cm tall with Medium growth rate.
Max height
25cm
Spread
20cm
Foliage
Evergreen
Plant Uses
Ornamental
Great for decoration
Is your plant showing symptoms?
Click on the symptom to discover possible causes:
What Diseases Commonly Affect Mexican butterwort?
TLDR: Mexican butterwort is susceptible to 2 known diseases. Monitor regularly for early detection.
Root Rot
Root rot is a serious fungal disease that affects the root system of plants, causing them to decay and die. It is primarily caused by overwatering, poor drainage, or soil-borne fungi such as Pythium, Phytophthora, Rhizoctonia, and Fusarium. The disease thrives in waterlogged conditions where roots are deprived of oxygen, making them susceptible to fungal infection.
Overwatering
Overwatering occurs when plants receive too much water, depriving roots of oxygen and causing root rot. This environmental stress is one of the most common causes of houseplant death, as waterlogged soil prevents roots from breathing and functioning properly.
Fun Facts
The name Pinguicula comes from the Latin pinguis, fat, after the greasy feel of the leaves.
Humboldt and Bonpland collected it near the Moran mine in Hidalgo, Mexico, which gave it the name moranensis.
It is one of the few Mexican butterworts that flowers twice a year.
Frequently asked questions
What water should I use for a Mexican butterwort?
Why did my Pinguicula moranensis shrink in winter?
Does it need fertilizer?
Does it help with fungus gnats?
Compare with similar plants
| Attribute | Difficulty | Light | Watering | Pet Safe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Field Maple | Easy | Bright indirect | 14d | ✓ |
| Iberian Houseleek | Easy | Direct sun | 14d | ✓ |
| Silver Birch | Easy | Direct sun | 14d | ✓ |
| Common Blanketflower | Easy | Direct sun | 10d | ✓ |
