We came across fields of these extremely showy wildflowers carpeting coastal hillsides north of Coquimbo, Chile without knowing what they were for days. Eventually we discovered that they were “mariposita costera”, or “coastal butterflies” (Schizanthus litoralis), members of the nightshade family (Solanaceae). Also known in English as “poor man’s orchids” for their fancied resemblance to those exotic flowers, this subfamily of about a dozen species is not obviously placed within the nightshade family at first glance since the flowers are bilaterally symmetrical and deeply lobed, separating them from the radially symmetrical and funnel-shaped floral structure of most of the rest of the family. In fact the genus is considered fairly basal within the Solanaceae, meaning that they are the closest to the original appearance of their predecessors from millions of years ago. Evolutionary biology aside, everyone can surely appreciate their ornate structure and vibrant colors. They have been hybridized for sale as garden annuals in the nursery trade as well, a worthwhile effort given their beauty.
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Hundreds of acres of steep hillsides were covered with Schizanthus litoralis flowers in the Coquimbo Region of Chile after abundant fall and winter rains brought up numerous seedlings.
Occasional individuals are white, as opposed to the normal orchid-pink of the species.
The yellow shrub is a species of senna, possibly S. cumingii spp alcaparra.
