Swallowtail, Butterfly Stripe Plant, Iron Butterfly

Christia (Cristia) obcordata ‘Stripe’, Lourea obcordata

Swallowtail is native to Ryukyu Islands & Taiwan.Leaves have the shape of a butterfly, w/dark red stripes over bright light green foliage.  Makes a great house plant for bright locations. Could be used as a patio plant if it is a shady area and the Swallowtail plant can be protected from cold temperatures, it is very tropical.

Culture: Initially these plants were grown in a light diffusing poly greenhouse.  The plants did well in these conditions of 70% sun all day long.  Water to keep soil moist but not soggy.  Trim frequently. 

Fertilize with a combination of 20-10-20 or some other liquid feed at ½ rate, + Seaweed Extract label rate, Tall Harvest SumaGrow Inside polymicrobial mix as a watering.  Outdoor plants will need more frequent fertilizer and water than indoor.  Outdoor one time / month nutrition applied to moist soil as a watering, and to foliage as a light mist. If the plant looks healthy and happy, less often, if it looks hungry then more often.  Indoor plants maybe 3 times a year.  Same rule applies to appearances if fertilizer is needed.  Indoors less is better than more.

Under natural daylength these plants will try to flower sometime in mid-fall.  The flowering is something that should be avoided, as when the plant flowers it will quit taking up water, may appear to be dry & can easily be overwatered.  The best way to prevent flowering will be to alter the daylength.  They need some light to either break up the 12 hr nights we experience in the fall or light at the end of the day for a couple hours to artificially extend the day.  The Swallowtail will then think it is still summer and be vegetative instead of reproductive mode.