#christia

Christia obcordata

Care Guide from seed: Christia obcordata, Swallowtail plant, Batgrass

Life Cycle: Perennial USDA Hardiness Zone: 11a Light Exposure: Partial shade or Partial sun Soil: Well-drained, but keep consistently moist, but not too moist or waterlogged Sowing: Lightly covered with soil

Germination time: 2 weeks Time to Flower: Unknown Time to Fruit Maturity: Unknown Fruit Maturity Signs: Husks are completely dried out Self Pollinating/Fertile: Unknown (Will update if mine end up flowering)

Container cultivation: Seems to do okay in 4-inch containers, though larger containers may be needed for larger specimens.

Christia obcordata is a tropical member of the Legume family, coveted for its butterfly-shaped leaves with purple stripes. This species is highly variable, with some plants having the rounded triangular leaves that mine are showing, while others have the more boomerang-like chevron leaves of its sister species, Christia vespertilionis. The leaves even feel like soft velvet! As opposed to the rough, papery leaves of C. vesperilionis.

Care for this species ended up being trickier than the other species. Mine all ended up getting browned tips and faded leaves after they had fully expanded. At first I thought it was too much light, but it seems to be a watering and nutrient issue. A cutting I rooted and planted in more free-draining soil ended up doing much better than its mother plant.

The watering my current specimen responds best to is to wait for the soil to dry out a bit, and then water from the bottom by adding water to the sauce so that the bottom of the planter is just barely touching the water to allow wicking.

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