Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Spiral Corkscrew Plant (Genlisea aurea)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Corkscrew Plant, Golden Corkscrew Plant, Lobster-pot Plant.

More about spiral corkscrew plant

About Spiral Corkscrew Plant

Genlisea aurea · also called Corkscrew Plant, Golden Corkscrew Plant · tropical

Genlisea aurea is a small carnivorous plant from South American savannahs, featuring tiny rosettes of leaves and attractive golden-yellow flowers. Its underground 'lobster-pot' traps use helical channels to capture soil micro-organisms and protozoa. Often grown as a terrarium companion with other carnivores. Requires acidic, moist, nutrient-poor conditions. Non-toxic to pets.

Cold limit: USDA 10-12 · RHS H1c (15-30°C)

Watch for — No flowering: Often a light issue. Increase bright indirect light and ensure warm temperatures during the growing season.

What spiral corkscrew plant's hardiness rating actually means

Spiral Corkscrew Plant is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Its RHS rating of H1c means: Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost. On the US scale that maps to USDA 10-12 — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 5 °C (and never frost). Spiral Corkscrew Plant has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for spiral corkscrew plant as it gets too cold:

Below about about 5 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches.
A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover.
Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.

Can spiral corkscrew plant go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually.
Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C.
It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when spiral corkscrew plant can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1c figure above.

Spiral Corkscrew Plant hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is spiral corkscrew plant cold hardy?

Spiral Corkscrew Plant is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Indoor-only in almost every home. Spiral Corkscrew Plant can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-12); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature spiral corkscrew plant can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 5 °C (and never frost). Spiral Corkscrew Plant has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

What hardiness zone is spiral corkscrew plant?

Spiral Corkscrew Plant is rated USDA 10-12 and RHS H1c — Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost.

Can spiral corkscrew plant survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually. Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C. It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

What happens to spiral corkscrew plant below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 5 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches. A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover. Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.