# Pastel Flower

*Pseuderanthemum variabile*

The seed capsules are ballistic; they snap open when dry to catapult seeds several meters away from the parent plant.

- **Taxonomy:** Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Lamiales › Acanthaceae › Pseuderanthemum
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Rainforest understory, shaded woodlands, and coastal vine thickets.
- **Diet:** Photosynthetic (Sunlight, Water, and Soil Nutrients)
- **Range:** Queensland, Australia, New South Wales, Australia, Northern Territory, Australia, New Guinea
- **Size:** 15-30 cm in height
- **Lifespan:** 3-7 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat fragmentation and competition from invasive weeds like Lantana.
- **Safe to approach?:** This plant is entirely harmless to humans. It is safe to touch and observe. Avoid stepping on these delicate ground-covers on forest paths. If found in a garden, leave it to support local butterfly populations.

## About

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 night and afternoon , pastel flower and love flower .

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/1f6adab6-2b8b-4f35-a45a-5d2f2bef5142
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/167477
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseuderanthemum variabile
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/178683362/medium.jpeg (Matt B, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.