Pinguicula, Butterworts
Type: Carnivorous | Size: Small, Up to 16cm tall.
Butterworts are tiny and compact, great for terrariums due to their small size and unique flowering.
How to grow and care for Butterworts (Pinguicula)
Pinguicula ranges from cold temperate bogs to the warm limestone cliffs of Mexico. The Mexican butterworts, such as Pinguicula moranensis and P. gigantea, are the terrarium stars because they are forgiving and colourful. They catch prey on a film of sticky mucilage covering flat, greasy-looking rosettes, which is where the name butterwort comes from.
Best terrarium setup for Butterworts (Pinguicula)
Mexican butterworts do well in an open or partly vented terrarium with bright light and some airflow. Unusually for a carnivore, they like sharp drainage and dislike sitting permanently soaked, so a gritty, mineral mix and a container that is not a sealed swamp suits them best. They are ideal near the edge of a bright terrarium or on a windowsill.
Light
Bright light, including some direct sun, brings out pink and purple tones in the leaves and keeps rosettes tight. In low light they turn plain green and stretch. A strong windowsill or a grow light overhead is ideal.
Temperature and dormancy
Mexican species have a fascinating two-season habit rather than a cold dormancy: in the warm months they form flat, sticky, carnivorous rosettes, and in the cool dry months they shrink into a compact, non-sticky succulent rosette that wants far less water. Keep them frost-free, roughly 15 to 28 degrees C, and simply water much less during the winter succulent phase.
Watering
Use rainwater, distilled or reverse-osmosis water. Keep the carnivorous summer rosette lightly moist, never waterlogged, then let the soil approach dry during the winter succulent stage. They tolerate slightly less-than-perfect water better than flytraps, but pure water is still safest.
Humidity
They enjoy humidity but do not need a sealed jar, and too much stagnant moisture can rot the crown. Moderate humidity with airflow is the sweet spot.
Feeding
No hand feeding needed. Butterworts are outstanding at catching fungus gnats and other small flies on their sticky leaves, which makes them genuinely useful pest control in a plant collection. If you want to help a young plant along, a rehydrated bloodworm or two on the leaf is plenty.
Common mistakes to avoid
The usual errors are keeping them soaking wet all year, missing the drier winter succulent phase, and low light that flattens their colour. Treat the summer rosette like a moist carnivore and the winter rosette like a succulent and they are very easy.
Is Butterworts (Pinguicula) right for your terrarium?
Butterworts are the friendliest carnivore for a terrarium, and secretly one of the best fungus gnat traps you can own. Their sticky leaves quietly pick off the tiny flies that plague damp terrariums, so they earn their place even before you notice how pretty their violet-like flowers are.
Where to buy Pinguicula:
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