Gardening in southern Spain: The butterfly vine

Mascagnia macroptera is native to Baja California and Mexico. It is a heat-loving, fast-growing, twining vine with clusters of yellow flowers and bright-green, lanceolate leaves. Common names include butterfly vine and yellow orchid vine.

It will form a large mound or small shrub and can be used as ground cover and kept clipped, or it can be guided up a trellis or over a pergola where it can reach six metres in height. It clings by tendrils so does not need tying-in.

After flowering, papery winged seed pods form, lime-green at first and then ripening to light brown. They resemble brown butterflies, hence the common name.

Besides being beautiful all year around, with often a second burst of flowers in early autumn, Mascagnia macroptera loves scorching summers and is drought resistant. However, watering deeply around the roots during the hottest months will ensure lush growth.

The butterfly vine will also grow in dappled shade although it may become a bit leggy and the flowers may not be so abundant.

In cold winters it may drop all its leaves but should reshoot from the base in spring. It can be cut down to about a metre in height to re-invigorate growth in early spring.

Mascagni macroptera (synonym Callaeum macropterum) is named after Paolo Mascagnia, an eighteenth century Italian naturist and anatomy professor at Pisa University.