Pseuderanthemum variabile
Encyclopedia
Pseuderanthemum variabile is a species of plant
in the Acanthaceae
family. Its natural habitat
is the floor of rainforest or wet eucalyptus forest of northern and eastern Australia
, north of Bega, New South Wales
. Common names include Pastel Flower and Love Flower.
Leaves from 2 to 7 cm long, up to 4 cm wide. Lanceolate to ovate in shape. Sometimes a hard mineral deposit occurs on the leaves. The base of the leaf can be purple, dotted with glands.
Flowers occur between November and May, being delicate in form; white, lilac, purple or blue in colour. Sometimes with spots near the middle. Occasionally the flowers do not open and are self fertilising. The fruit is a capsule, sometimes hairy.
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
in the Acanthaceae
Acanthaceae
The family Acanthaceae is a taxon of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species....
family. Its natural habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
is the floor of rainforest or wet eucalyptus forest of northern and eastern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, north of Bega, New South Wales
Bega, New South Wales
Bega is a town in the south-east of New South Wales, Australia in the Bega Valley Shire. It is the economic centre for the Bega Valley.-Place name:One claim is that place name Bega is derived from the local Aboriginal word meaning "big camping ground"....
. Common names include Pastel Flower and Love Flower.
Description
A small ground cover, up to 30 cm high. The branches are hairy.Leaves from 2 to 7 cm long, up to 4 cm wide. Lanceolate to ovate in shape. Sometimes a hard mineral deposit occurs on the leaves. The base of the leaf can be purple, dotted with glands.
Flowers occur between November and May, being delicate in form; white, lilac, purple or blue in colour. Sometimes with spots near the middle. Occasionally the flowers do not open and are self fertilising. The fruit is a capsule, sometimes hairy.