Mirabilis coccinea
Mirabilis alipes
red four o'clock, scarlet four-o'clock
wing four o'clock
ascending to erect, 1.5–9 dm, glabrous basally, glabrous or rarely very sparsely puberulent distally.
2–4 dm.
usually ascending or spreading at 45–90°, dark grayish green, moderately thick and fleshy;
petiole 0–0.3 cm;
blade linear to linear-lanceolate, 4.5–10 × 0.1–0.5 cm, base attenuate, apex acute, surfaces glabrous or rarely with few small hairs adaxially, glabrous abaxially.
spreading;
petioles of proximal leaves 0.5–0.7 cm;
blades of midstem leaves ovate to widely ovate, 4.5–9 × 3.5–5 cm, base obtuse to rounded, often oblique, apex obtuse, rarely acute.
peduncle 4–8 mm, spreading stiff short hairy or glandular-pubescent, crosswalls of hairs pale;
involucres dark green, opaque, moderately veiny, 4–7 mm in flower, 4–8 mm in fruit, softly hirtellous or glandular-hirtellous, bracts 30–40% connate, lobes narrowly ovate or triangular.
peduncle 3–10 mm;
involucres erect to pendent, 11–30 mm;
bracts 6–9, distinct or to 50% connate, apex acute to obtuse, rarely rounded.
perianth bright red-purple, 1.3–2 cm.
6–9 per involucre;
perianth usually magenta, occasionally creamy white, bell-shaped, 1.5–1.8 cm.
pale olive brown, 4.5–6 mm;
ribs round, 0.5–0.8 times width of sulci, 0.5 times as wide as high, smooth or slightly warty or with warts equaling height of ribs;
sulci smooth.
mottled olive green, with 10 slender, tan ribs, ellipsoid, 5.5–7 mm, rugulose, glabrous, secreting thick, heavy mucilage when wetted.
Mirabilis coccinea
Mirabilis alipes
Mirabilis coccinea is easily confused with M. linearis var. linearis when the flowers are closed. The distinction is more difficult when plants are cleistogamous (phase Allionia gracillima in M. coccinea; phases A. pinetorum and Oxybaphus bodinii in M. linearis). In general, leaves of M. coccinea are oriented at an angle of 45° or greater to the stem, the distal portion of the main axis of the inflorescence is glabrous to 2–3 cm from the flowers, and the peduncles are sparingly short pubescent. In var. linearis, the leaves are generally oriented at 45° or less to the stem, the inflorescence is densely pubescent, and the peduncles are densely spreading-pubescent. Reports of the occurrence of M. coccinea in Texas (e.g., D. S. Correll and M. C. Johnston 1970) are apparently based on literature records and perhaps on a labeling error of a probable isotype collected by Charles Wright. No specimens have been seen from Texas. P. C. Standley (1911) discussed the unique nature of the fruit and perianth of this species relative to sect. Mirabilis and sect. Oxybaphus; in the original description, Torrey noted the species to be intermediate between Oxybaphus and Quamoclidion.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Hermidium was once maintained as a genus based on discrete involucral bracts. As discussed by G. E. Pilz (1978), distinct bracts are typical, but involucres with the five outermost bracts united to one-half their length are common.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
