Working with agricultural brand S&G Flowers/USA, a division of Syngenta Seed, which had been growing plants since the early 19th century, Nintendo of America bred the Pikmin flower (and gave it the name “bacopa cabana”) from the Sutera cordata plant. , forming it with five white petals and a yellow center. Sutera cordata, also known as Chaenostoma cordatum, is native to South Africa and blooms with tightly packed, small round flowers when given enough sun. Chaenostoma are short-lived, evergreen perennials that grow every year in colder climates, can make a charming addition to gardens and look great in hanging baskets.
Like gaming, gardening is an extremely popular pastime, and by combining the two, Nintendo hoped to capture the attention of hobbyists who might not have previously considered picking up a controller instead of a trowel. “As America’s number one pastime, gardening continues to have broad consumer appeal among people of all ages,” said Keith Cable, S&G Flowers’ then-VP of sales and marketing. “With fun products like Pikmin, Nintendo is connecting with consumers outside the living room.”
Since the Pikmin marketing campaign began over two decades ago, officially branded seeds for the Pikmin flower are now hard to come by. But it’s easy to grow cousins ​​of the same breed with flowers that look a lot like those inspired by the “Pikmin” characters. You can even find bacopa seeds in the Amazon, like the Pikmin-like Snowtopia breed. It would be great, though, if Nintendo started growing an actual piranha plant to promote the next Mario game, because that would be a really fun addition to your garden.