Slipper flower
Calceolaria Herbeohybrida Group
Also called Pocketbook plant, Lady's purse and Calceolaria
Houseplant · FloweringSold in flower and finished when the flowers are — it is a one-season plant and nothing you do will make it a second. Keep it under 15°C and it lasts two months instead of two weeks.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Medium
- Water
- Every 4 daysDrench and drain — water the whole surface until it runs from the holes.
- Light
- Bright indirect, and cool — it hates a warm room
- Feed
- Once a fortnight
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Tender — no frost at all RHS H2, to 1°C
- Size
- 0.3 m tall · 0.25 m across
- Lifecycle
- Annual
- Origin
- A garden hybrid of Chilean and Peruvian species
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsNothing recorded against it
No animal-poison authority lists this plant either way.
PeopleNot checked yet
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-08-05. Where a source says nothing, we say nothing.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- It goes limp the same afternoon it is put anywhere over 18°C, and it does not come back a second time. This is a cold-windowsill plant.Collapse in a warm room · disorder
- The stalks below the pouches go sticky and bent, with green specks packed in the forks.Aphids in the flower stems · pest