''Pseuderanthemum variabile'', commonly known as pastel flower or love flower in its native range, or night and afternoon in the

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, is a small

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

in the family

Acanthaceae Acanthaceae is a family (the acanthus family) of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species. Most are tropical herbs, shrubs, or twining vines; some are epiphytes. Only a few species are distributed in te ...

which is native to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

and

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

. It can be an unwelcome nuisance in orchid nurseries in Australia.

Description

''Pseuderanthemum variabile'' is a creeping herb with a highly variable appearance, growing up to high, all parts of which may be

pubescent The adjective pubescent may describe: * people or animals undergoing puberty * plants that are hairy, covered in trichomes * insects that are covered in setae In biology, setae (singular seta ; from the Latin word for "bristle") are any of a ...

. The wiry stems are around wide. The leaves are

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...

ovate Ovate may refer to: *Ovate (egg-shaped) leaves, tepals, or other botanical parts *Ovate, a type of prehistoric stone hand axe *Ovates, one of three ranks of membership in the Welsh Gorsedd *Vates In modern English, the nouns vates () and ovat ...

in shape with entire margins, and their arrangement is opposite and decussate. They measure up to long by wide with petioles up to long, and have from 3 to 6 lateral veins either side of the

midrib This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...

. The leaf colour varies greatly. The upper surface is usually dark green to mid-green, but may have varying amounts of light grey or (rarely) purple patterning. The lower surface of the leaf is usually light green but may also be purple or dark red (see gallery for examples). The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

is produced from the terminal axil, and the

zygomorphic Floral symmetry describes whether, and how, a flower, in particular its perianth, can be divided into two or more identical or mirror-image parts. Uncommonly, flowers may have no axis of symmetry at all, typically because their parts are spirall ...

flowers have five petals. Two petals are smaller than the others and are usually uppermost. They measure around and overlap each other slightly. Two more are held perpendicular to the first pair, one on either side, and the last (and largest) petal is opposite the first pair. This one measures about and is often decorated with a variable number of small purple spots. The petals may be any colour shade from white to pink or lilac. The fruit is a capsule up to long, and may be pubescent or glabrous.

Taxonomy

The

basionym In the scientific name of organisms, basionym or basyonym means the original name on which a new name is based; the author citation of the new name should include the authors of the basionym in parentheses. The term "basionym" is used in both botan ...

of this species is ''Eranthemum variabile'' which was first described by the

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

botanist Robert Brown in his book ''

Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen ''Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen'' (Prodromus of the Flora of New Holland and Van Diemen's Land) is a flora of Australia written by botanist Robert Brown and published in 1810. Often referred to as ''Prodromus Flora Novae ...

'' published in 1810. In 1883 the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

taxonomist and botanist Ludwig Radlkofer transferred a number of species, including ''E. variablile'', to the new

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

''Pseuderanthemum''.

Distribution and habitat

This species is found in Papua New Guinea, eastern parts of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

in Australia, and in New Caledonia. It may occupy a number of forest types in Australia, most often

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

and wet

sclerophyll Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaf, leaves, short Internode (botany), internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem) and leaf orientation which is paral ...

forest, but also

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

s, open forest and

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

vine thickets. It has been introduced to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

and

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

Ecology

''P. variabile'' is the food plant for caterpillars of a number of butterflies in the family Nymphalidae, including ''

Doleschallia bisaltide ''Doleschallia bisaltide'', the autumn leaf, is a nymphalid butterfly found in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Australasia. In Australia it is also known as the leafwing. Description The larvae are black, with two rows of dorsal white spots ...

'', ''

Hypolimnas alimena ''Hypolimnas alimena'', the blue-banded eggfly, is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in the Solomon Islands, Indonesia (Aru Islands, Irian Jaya, Kei Islands, Maluku), New Guinea and Australia (the coast of New South Wa ...

'', ''

Hypolimnas bolina ''Hypolimnas bolina'', the great eggfly, common eggfly, varied eggfly or in New Zealand the blue moon butterfly is a species of nymphalid butterfly found from Madagascar to Asia and Australia. Appearance Race ''bolina'' ''H. bolina'' is a blac ...

'', ''

Hypolimnas misippus ''Hypolimnas misippus'', the Danaid eggfly, mimic, or diadem, is a widespread species of nymphalid butterfly. It is well known for polymorphism and mimicry. Males are blackish with distinctive white spots that are fringed in blue. Females are i ...

'' and ''

Junonia orithya ''Junonia orithya'' is a nymphalid butterfly with many subspecies occurring from Africa, through southern and south-eastern Asia, Cambodia and in Australia. In India, its common English name is the blue pansy, but in southern Africa it is known a ...

''.

Conservation

This species is listed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science as

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

. , it has not been assessed by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

Cultivation and uses

It is an attractive addition to gardens, and can be used as a feature, a ground cover, or a gap filler in a rockery. It is easily grown from seed or cuttings. In Australia, it is reported by some

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

nurseries as a pest, as it often appears in pots and may be difficult to eradicate.

Gallery

File:Pseuderanthemum variabile 1.jpg File:Flowers in Whites Hill Reserve (6980281088).jpg , Whites Hill Reserve, Queensland. February 2012 File:Pastel flower leaf underside (8584224544).jpg , Underside with mild colouration File:Pseuderanthemum variabile, Cairns.jpg , Forming a groundcover at Cairns Railway Station, Queensland, December 2020. File:Pseuderanthemum-variabile-ryanthughs-iNat-183663594.jpg , Flower with spots, Barron Gorge Queensland, March 2022 File:Pseuderanthemum-variabile-ryanthughs-iNat-183663621.jpg , Leaves with random patterning above and dark purple below. Barron Gorge Queensland, March 2022

References

External links

* *
View a map
of recorded sightings of this species at the

Australasian Virtual Herbarium The ''Australasian Virtual Herbarium'' (AVH) is an online resource that allows access to plant specimen data held by various Australian and New Zealand herbaria. It is part of the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA), and was formed by the amalgamat ...

View observations
of this species on

iNaturalist iNaturalist is a social network of naturalists, citizen scientists, and biologists built on the concept of mapping and sharing observations of biodiversity across the globe. iNaturalist may be accessed via its website or from its mobile applic ...

See images
of this species on Flickriver {{Taxonbar, from=Q5413582 Flora of the Northern Territory Flora of Queensland Flora of New South Wales Flora of New Guinea Flora of New Caledonia variabile Garden plants