Polyscias balfouriana 'Butterfly'

Identity and natural origin of Polyscias balfouriana 'Butterfly'

Polyscias balfouriana is native to wet tropical areas stretching from New Guinea to Queensland and has been grown as an ornamental for many years.

Butterfly is the cream-edged form commonly sold as P. balfouriana. The species is also sometimes treated as Polyscias scutellaria, which is why Balfour aralias can appear under either species name.

Caring for Polyscias balfouriana 'Butterfly'

• Light: give Butterfly bright filtered light. A little gentle sun early or late in the day is fine once it has adjusted; keep the light filtered around midday to protect the cream margins.
• Watering: check both the surface of the mix and the weight of the pot. Once the upper mix has partly dried and the pot feels lighter, water thoroughly and let the container drain.
• Temperature and humidity: keep it warm and stable, around 18–27 °C, with moderate humidity. Keep it away from cold draughts and direct heater airflow.
• Potting mix: use an airy, organic-rich mix that drains freely and still holds some moisture after watering. Fine bark with perlite or pumice helps keep the mix loose around the roots.
• Pruning and feeding: tip pruning encourages side branches and a fuller crown. Feed lightly with a complete houseplant fertiliser while fresh leaves and shoots are developing, using the product label for the dose. If the plant stops making new growth, pause feeding until it starts again.
• Repotting: move to a slightly larger container once roots fill the pot, watering becomes much more frequent, or the mix has become compacted.

Common issues with Polyscias balfouriana 'Butterfly'

• The cream edges become brown and crisp: damage from repeated drought, dry heater air, salt build-up or sudden strong sun often shows first on the pale tissue. Give the plant filtered light, move it away from direct heater airflow, water once the upper mix has partly dried, and flush the pot with plain water if fertiliser salts may have built up.
• A newly moved plant sheds many leaves: abrupt changes in light, temperature or moisture can trigger leaf drop. Give it one warm, bright position with filtered light and keep the light and watering routine consistent.
• Yellowing develops while the pot stays wet: roots can suffer when the mix stays wet for too long. Give the mix more time to dry and make sure water can leave the pot freely. If roots are dark, soft or foul-smelling, cut the damaged parts back to firm healthy tissue with a clean tool, discard the rotten material and repot in fresh airy mix.
• Sticky residue, brown bumps, cottony clusters or fine webbing appear: scale insects, mealybugs or spider mites may be feeding on the plant. Isolate it, remove visible pests and use a treatment labelled for the pest you identify, repeating it only at the interval stated on the label.

Polyscias balfouriana ‘Butterfly’ is toxic to cats and dogs

• Keep this plant away from cats and dogs that may chew it.
• It contains saponins that can irritate the mouth and digestive tract.
• Chewing may cause drooling, vomiting, stomach pain, reduced appetite or weakness. Contact a veterinarian if symptoms develop.

About the name Polyscias balfouriana

Polyscias combines Greek polys, many, with skia, shade, parasol or canopy. The epithet balfouriana honours the Scottish botanist John Hutton Balfour.

Johann Reinhold Forster and Johann Georg Adam Forster established the genus Polyscias in 1776 in Characteres Generum Plantarum, second edition, page 63.

Édouard-François André first described it as Aralia balfouriana in 1898 in Revue Horticole (Paris), volume 70, page 229. Liberty Hyde Bailey later placed it in Polyscias as Polyscias balfouriana in 1916 in Rhodora, volume 18, page 153.