Pentas lanceolata

Egyptian Starcluster, Star Flower

Spiritual Message by the Mother/ Quotes by Sri Aurobindo

Light is not knowledge but the illumination that comes from above and liberates the being from obscurity and darkness.

Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Yoga - III: Light

Light is primarily a spiritual manifestation of the Divine Reality illuminative and creative; material light is a subsequent representation or conversion of it into Matter for the purposes of the material Energy.

Sri Aurobindo, The Life Divine - II: The Ascent towards Supermind

Our sense by its incapacity has invented darkness. In truth there is nothing but Light, only it is a power of light either above or below our poor human vision's limited range.

For do not imagine that light is created by the Suns. The Suns are only physical concentrations of Light, but the splendour they concentrate for us is self-born and everywhere.

God is everywhere and wherever God is, there is Light.

Sri Aurobindo, Essays Divine and Human: God: The One Reality

Varieties

Message of the Flower

Movements in the Light

The Mother’s Comment

This is possible only with a great sincerity.

Colour

White

Message of the Flower

Light in the Vital Movements

The Mother’s Comment

This certainly means the beginning of wisdom.

Colour

Mauve

Message of the Flower

Psychic Light in the Physical Movements

The Mother’s Comment

The first step towards the transformation of the physical.

Colour

Vivid pink

Message of the Flower

Psychic Light in the Material Movements

The Mother’s Comment

Essential condition for transformation.

Colour

Bright red

Family

Rubiaceae

Cultivars

Butterfly Deep Pink', 'Butterfly Red', 'Graffiti Red'

Person who named the flower

Friedrich Richard Rudolf Schlechter

Flower Size

2-3 cm across

Flower Texture

Soft

Number of Petals

Five

Floral Symmetry

Radially symmetric

Fragrance of Flower

Mildly fragrant

Leaf Texture

Smooth with a slightly hairy surface

Leaf Arrangement

Opposite

Leaf Color

Dark green

Structural Variation (Shrub or Tree)

Shrub

Life Cycle

Perennial in tropical climates, annual in cooler regions

Blooming Period

Throughout the year in warm climates

Climate

Tropical and subtropical

Water Requirements

Moderate, well-drained soil

Soil Type

Well-drained, fertile

Temperature Ranges

Warm climates, not frost-tolerant

Sun or Shade

Full sun to partial shade

Susceptibility to Insects and Diseases

Aphids, spider mites, whiteflies, root rot

Pollinators

Butterflies, bees

Habitat

Native to tropical and eastern Africa

Role in the Ecosystem

Provides nectar for pollinators

Ornamental

Used in gardens and as bedding plant

Uses in Other Aspects of Life

Mainly ornamental

Endangered Status

Not endangered