As the name suggests, the leaves of this plant resemble butterfly wings, it looks very luxurious and elegant so it is often used as an ornamental plant at home.
Many ornamental plant fans like this flower, because it is relatively easy to care for. Indeed, how do you care for and cultivate it? Come on, get to know this beauty further!
Oxalis triangularis is the scientific name of the butterfly flower which comes from the Oxalidaceae (star fruit) family. Butterfly flowers have various names in Indonesia, including butterfly calincing, purple calincing, and red calincing. In English these flowers are known as purple shamrocks.
This flower is an ornamental plant that originates from tropical countries in South America (Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina and Paraguay) and South Asia. This type is able to live in medium-dry conditions. Butterfly flowers can grow in tropical and subtropical weather with a temperature range of 15-25 oC.
This type of sati plant is a fibrous root. The stem is upright, not woody, and about 15-30 cm high. The diameter is 10-15 mm. The leaf stalks are soft and 15-25 cm long.
This plant is much sought after by ornamental plant lovers, because its unique leaves are similar to butterfly wings. The leaves are triangular in shape with the tip wide or ragged (truncatus) and the base of the leaf pointed (accutus).
This ornamental plant can be recognized by the shape of its leaves which are like an inverted triangle.
The leaves are shaped like an inverted triangle, the leaf spines are pinnate, the leaves are thin, the leaf edges are flat. The lower surface of the leaves is slightly hairy. The leaves are about 3-4 cm long and about 4-5 cm wide. The leaves are dark purple with light purple markings. There are also green flowers with purple stripes.
The leaves are “photophilic”, meaning they can open and close themselves depending on the response to light. At night or in cold temperatures, the butterfly flower leaves seem to fall asleep curled up, then in the morning the flower leaves will open.
Butterfly flowers are compound flowers, 2-5 flowers per bunch. The length of the flower stalk is 3-4 cm. The flower petals are about 0.5 cm high and the petals are about 7 mm long. The petals of the flower are egg-shaped.
Butterfly flowers grow from bulbs, in the form of layered bulbs or bulbus squamosus which are arranged like house tiles.
