The butterfly vine (Mascagnia macroptera (Sessé & Moçiño ex DC) Niedenzu) is a member of the Malpighiaceae or Barbados cherry family. This 'vine' is technically a shrub with vine-like branches. It is native to Mexico.

There are sixty genera and an estimated 800 to 1200 species in the Malpighiaceae. The family is pan-tropical with its greatest diversity in South America. One characteristic of the family is the presence of unicellular, two-branched trichomes called malpighian hairs on the surface of the leaves. The branches of the trichomes lay parallel to the surface of the leaf.

The seeds of the butterfly vine are housed in a unique winged schizocarp (a dry fruit that splits when mature, i.e. maple seeds). The schizocarp [shy' zo carp] of the butterfly vine divides into three sections. Each section has three wings, two which are shaped like butterfly wings and a third smaller dorsal wing which appears to serve as a stabilizer as the seed drifts in the wind.