A swarm of butterflies dances among elegant blooms, this flower has high ornamental value

Blue Butterfly is a herbaceous plant of the genus Iris, named for its blue-purple corolla. This plant prefers a warm, humid climate. It is cold-resistant and drought-tolerant, and grows best in loose sandy loam. It is propagated by division and sowing. It is distributed in Yunnan, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other provinces.

Blue Butterfly

Morphological characteristics:

A climbing herbaceous vine. Stems and branchlets slender, covered with deciduous appressed short pubescence. Leaves 2.5-5 cm long; stipules small, linear, 2-5 mm long; petiole 1.5-3 cm long; upper surface of the common leaf axis with fine grooves; leaflets 5-7, but usually 5, thin papery or nearly membranous, broadly elliptic or sometimes nearly ovate, 2.5-5 cm long, 1.5-3.5 cm wide, apex obtuse, slightly emarginate, often with a minute mucro, base obtuse, both surfaces sparsely covered with appressed short pubescence or sometimes glabrous, turning green or greenish-brown when dry; stipels small, bristle-like; petiolules 1-2 mm long, and the leaf axis both covered with short pubescence. Flowers large, solitary and axillary; bracts 2, lanceolate; bracteoles large, membranous, nearly round, green, 5-8 mm in diameter, with obvious reticulate veins; calyx membranous, 1.5-2 cm long, with longitudinal veins, 5-lobed, lobes lanceolate, less than 1/2 the length of the calyx tube; apex with a mucro; corolla blue, pink or white, up to 5.5 cm long, standard broadly obovate, about 3 cm in diameter, with a white or orange-yellow shallow halo in the center, base gradually narrowed, with a short claw, wings and keel much smaller than the standard, both clawed, wings obovate-oblong, keel elliptic; stamens diadelphous; ovary covered with short pubescence. Pod 5-11 cm long, about 1 cm wide, flat, with a long beak, containing 6-10 seeds; seeds oblong, about 6 mm long, about 4 mm wide, black, with an obvious strophiole. Flowering and fruiting period July-November.

Blue Butterfly

Cultivation techniques:

The best cultivation soil is loam or sandy loam, with good drainage. It prefers high temperatures, and the suitable growing temperature is about 23-32 degrees C. In winter it needs warmth and shelter from wind to overwinter. It adapts to environments from partial sun to full sun; strong sun will make the leaves rather yellow, but does not affect growth and flowering. Low temperatures and cold waves in winter will cause a slight dormant phenomenon of leaf drop. It flowers in spring and summer; the inflorescence extends from the branch tips, opening flower by flower in succession, and the flowering period is quite long. After flowering, dwarfing pruning can be carried out to prevent it from growing taller and taller and becoming increasingly sparse. Apply a slow-release fertilizer once in late winter and early spring, and one more application after flowering is sufficient.

Blue Butterfly

Origin of the name:

When Blue Butterfly is in full bloom, it closely resembles a swarm of butterflies dancing, with elegant flower posture, and it is named Blue Butterfly because it resembles a butterfly. The beautiful purple flowers of Blue Butterfly, like those of a butterfly, bloom only once in a thousand years, and only exist in the No-Return Forest! The No-Return Forest, as the name suggests, is a place from which there is no return, and it is extremely dangerous inside; therefore, few people can see the Purple Butterfly Flower!