Syngonium White Butterfly

Learn all about the Syngonium White Butterfly. Get the best care tips, including lighting, soil, and water requirements. See pictures of my mature plant.

Syngonium White Butterfly Arrowhead Vine

Can you believe the how gorgeous and large the leaves get on this Syngonium White Butterfly? This is an easy houseplant that really fills a space. It's sometimes also called the White Butterfly Arrowhead Plant.

If you love whimsical houseplants, this is one of my top choices. It's also easy to care for, and I share my best tips to help you grow a happy plant.

Syngonium White Butterfly Appearance

Syngonium White Butterfly has gorgeous fluttery free spirited leaves. The leaves are mostly light mint green, with darker bits, often on the edges. The colors and patterns on the leaves blend together and are relaxing to look at.

Leaf Shape

It's filled with butterfly shaped leaves that grow on vines. The unique leaves can also be described as an arrowhead shape, giving this plant the nickname arrowhead vine. I like to think of them as fluttering wings though.

Leaf Coloring

Some leaves on the white butterfly arrowhead vine are mostly pale green with lighter coloring inside. Other leaves are a light mint green color with dark green designs. Most leaves have a darker green border around them.

Leaf Size

The leaves can get very big! Many of the leaves are bigger than my hand. You can see one of the leaves almost completely covering my small hands in the photo below. It's not the largest leaf on the plant, but I wanted to show you the size, as well as the gorgeous dark green coloring too.

Does It Need Support?

Personally, I love the look when vines gently flop all over freely. To keep the plant growing evenly, I rotate the plant regularly.

However, in its natural environment, this plant is a climber. Therefore, syngoniums would benefit from support poles.

So far though, my happy plant has been putting out large leaves and growing nicely. The vines might be getting to the point of being a bit too heavy, and I think I'll need to put in support poles at some point. Otherwise, I might cut and propagate.

Syngonium White Butterfly Care

How do you take care of a Syngonium White Butterfly?

It's easy to get into a good care routine for a white butterfly arrowhead vine. Three basic requirements:

• Light: Bright, indirect light for best growth.
• Water: Water pretty frequently, before the soil completely dries out.
• Soil: Airy and chunky soil that retains moisture.

Keep reading for more details on each of these requirements.

How Much Light Does a Syngonium White Butterfly Need?

Like many houseplants, Syngonium White Butterfly likes bright indirect light best. If you keep your plant in a bright spot in the house, it should be happy and produce new growth fairly quickly.

Syngoniums will grow leggy and floppy, or grow slowly, if they are not given adequate amount of light.

Where I Put My White Butterfly Arrowhead Plant

I have had this white butterfly arrowhead in various spots in the house over the past years. It's a pretty easy going plant so it survived all the various locations. But it's also evident when it is getting enough light and happiest.

East Window

When this white butterfly was in the entry way next to an east facing window, it was pretty happy. It grew fast, and enjoyed the weak direct sunlight in the morning. It grew too big for the spot, so I moved it.

North Window

Next, I moved it to a darker room, and sat it under the room's only north facing window. The plant started getting leggier, as it reached for the sunlight. I didn't like how the plant became floppy and lopsided, so I moved it after trying it in that location for about 8 months.

South and West Windows - Its Favorite Spot

Currently, this plant is sitting in the dining room. Our open floor plan has huge south facing sliding doors that let in so much light.

In addition, I have this plant sitting on the sideboard, directly next to a west facing window so it gets plenty of sunlight. During the afternoons, we partially put down the blinds on the west facing windows, so the plant doesn't get leaf burn.

When placed in this bright spot in the house, my plant has exploded with growth. By far, this is the happiest spot the plant has been.

What Kind of Soil Does a Syngonium White Butterfly Like?

I always believe getting your plant into the appropriate soil is the most important part of its care. It simplifies the watering process tremendously. After you buy your white butterfly plant, check to make sure that it is in a good mix and repot it if necessary.

Syngoniums (Arrowhead Vines) need chunky and airy soils that give the roots space to breathe. I always make my own mix. I have found that my syngonium plants grow well when I use my Homemade Hoya and Aroid Potting Mix.

In summary, I use the following:

• 2 parts Tropical Potting Soil
• 1 part mix of airy material such as pumice, lava rocks, perlite
• 1 part Orchiata bark

For full details, hop over to read more about my Hoya and Aroid Potting Mix.

How Often To Water Syngonium White Butterfly

How often to water your plant is dependent on many factors. For example, the soil mixture it is potted in, the temperature and humidity of your house, and the size of the pot all make a difference.

In general, pot your syngonium is in the appropriate potting mix (chunky and airy) and don't let the roots dry out completely.

For my white butterfly, I water the plant about every 10-12 days in the winter when it is colder, there is less light, and the plant isn't growing as rapidly.

In the summer months, I find the plant enjoys being watered every 5-7 days. This is especially because my white butterfly plant grows huge leaves, and it sits in a very bright spot in the house.

Is Syngonium White Butterfly Rare?

Syngonium plants are not rare. They are possible to find in big box stores, grocery stores, plant shops, and online.

Because there are so many varieties of arrowhead vines, shops might not always have a white butterfly at any given moment. However, the white butterfly should be part of the regular rotation of plants.

I bought my 6'' plant at the grocery store for about $16. It's not too pricey, and it grows fairly fast so it's a great decor for the home. The plant in the photo is now in a 9" pot.

Styling White Butterfly Arrowhead Vine

The white butterfly looks great in just about any place in the home. It works well on a table or plant stand because it grows very large and free form.

I love this plant on our side table. I have it in a light green planter because I think it looks so nice with the different shades of green on the leaves.

You can also help a syngonium climb upwards if you place in plant supports. Any simple support should help the plant hold up the large leaves.

Because of the variegated leaves, a solid color planter complements the plant best.

Any questions? Ask in the comments below. I'd also love to hear about your plants!

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