---
title: Mexican butterwort in a terrarium | Glass Jar Garden
description: Mexican butterwort (Pinguicula moranensis (and hybrids)): A sticky-leaved rosette that turns succulent in winter. One of the easiest carnivores. Needs light...
url: https://glassjar.garden/guide/plants/pinguicula-mexican/
---

Plants

# Mexican butterwort
Pinguicula moranensis (and hybrids)

Beginner · Fine in a closed jar

A sticky-leaved rosette that turns succulent in winter. One of the easiest carnivores.

## What the simulation uses

- Light: 8,000 to 25,000 lux (The brightness it grows well in.)

- Humidity: 40 to 80 % RH (Air moisture it is happy in; below the lower end it dries out.)

- Temperature: 12 to 30 °C (Comfortable range; outside it growth slows.)

- Dies at: below 2 or above 38 °C (Days beyond these temperatures kill it.)

- Soil pH: 6 to 7.5 pH (Soil acidity it prefers.)

- Grows up: 0.3 cm/month (How fast it gains height in good conditions.)

- Spreads: 0.65 cm/month (How fast its edge creeps outwards.)

- Copes with wet: fair (How well it stands soggy soil; poor means rot comes quickly.)

- Copes with still air: fair (Sealed jars have still air; poor means grey mould finds it.)

- Copes with shade: fair (How well it holds on in dim light.)

- Copes with drying: good (How well it survives the jar drying out.)

- Water use: 0.07 ml/cm²/day (Water drawn up from its roots per cm² of leaves in room air; a sealed jar cuts this to a fraction and returns it down the glass.)

- Leaf drop: 3 %/month (Share of its leaves it sheds each month as litter for the cleanup crew.)

- Soft leaves: yes (Soft new growth that hungry isopods will nibble.)

- Full size: 3.5 cm tall, 10.5 cm wide (Its size when grown, before the lid stops it.)

## Care

- Day length: 10 to 14 h

- Substrate: Moist

## What kills it

- soggy medium in the winter succulent phase
- fungicides
- fertiliser
- mineral tap water

## Description
In summer it grows sticky leaves that catch tiny insects, then switches to a compact winter rosette. Lights left on all day stop that switch and keep it in its non-trapping form. Keep it drier in winter, as it dislikes soggy soil then.

Also called butterwort, Pinguicula.

Estimated, where sources were thin: ph (ICPS adds dolomitic lime; wild var. moranensis on limestone); temp_c; humidity_rh_pct; light_lux.

## Sources

- [carnivorousplants.org/grow/guides/MexicanPinguicula](https://www.carnivorousplants.org/grow/guides/MexicanPinguicula)
- [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinguicula_moranensis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinguicula_moranensis)
- [plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/pinguicula](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/pinguicula/)

[Grow it in a jar](https://glassjar.garden/?guide=plants/pinguicula-mexican)

[Maidenhair fern](https://glassjar.garden/guide/plants/adiantum-raddianum/) · [Mini nerve plant](https://glassjar.garden/guide/plants/fittonia-mini/) · [All plants](https://glassjar.garden/guide/plants/)