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| Pseuderanthemum variabile (ACANTHACEAE); Love flower |
|  | | Photo: Derek Boddington © 2002 |
Small, soft perennial herb up to 30cm high with hairy stems, growing in a variety of habitats, especially rainforest and wet sclerophyll from Bateman's Bay, NSW to Cape York, North Qld, NT and also occurring in PNG.
Leaves simple, opposite, often jointed at the base, lanceolate to ovate, dark green above, purplish below with small glandular dots, 2-10cm long x 3-50mm wide, base rounded or sometimes cordate, apex acute to obtuse; petioles 5-30mm long.
Inflorescence elongate, terminal flowers showy, up to 2cm long x 1.5cm across; tubular, on pedicels 1-8mm long; calyx 5-lobed, 4-8mm long, corolla narrow and long, abruptly expanding to 5 shortly pointed and asymmetrically arranged lobes, white, lilac or mauve, often with darker spots at the base of the lower lobe. Lower flowers on the stem usually much smaller, simplified and inconspicuous, often not opening.
Fruiting body is a slender capsule, 10-15mm long, slightly hairy or glabrous, with few to many seeds.
Flowering December to May.
Other Common names: Pastel Flower.
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| Image: Flowers and foliage |  |
|  | | Photo: Derek Boddington © 2005 |
Makes an ideal groundcover, which will spread in a lightly shaded garden. Cuttings of roots or stems strike readily, or self seeded plantlets can be potted up.
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| Image: Flower detail | |
|  | | Photo: Derek Boddington © 2005 |
The plant provides support for a number of butterflies, including the Leafwing and the Varied, Danaid and Blue-banded Eggflies. (SOWN)
Pseuderanthemum from Greek pseudes meaning false and the genus Eranthemum, also in the ACANTHACEAE, which it resembles. Variabile means variable.
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