Mirabilis jalapa |
Mirabilis gigantea |
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four o'clock, four o'clock flower, four o'clock umbrella-wort, marvel of peru, wishbone bush |
giant four o'clock |
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Stems | erect, moderately leafy in proximal 2/3 of plant, few branched distally, 5–20 dm, basally finely pubescent with appressed, curled hairs often in 2 bands or rarely glabrate; distally densely puberulent with appressed, curled hairs. |
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Leaves | ascending at 30–45°, progressively reduced toward infloresence; petiole 0.2–1 cm; blade grayish green, ovate to broadly lanceolate or oblong, 5–10.5 × 1.8–8 cm, coriaceous, base cuneate to round, truncate, or cordate, apex usually acute to obtuse, occasionally round, surfaces usually glabrous, sometimes very sparsely puberulent with curved hairs. |
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Inflorescences | usually terminal, main axis with short side branches, sometimes short branches present in upper axils; peduncle 5–19 mm, usually densely puberulent with curled hairs, sometimes sparsely so, occasionally spreading-villous, crosswalls of hairs pale; involucres pale green, widely bell-shaped, 4–5 mm in flower, 7–9 mm in fruit, sparsely to densely puberulent with curved hairs, 50–70% connate, lobes ovate. |
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Flowers | 3 per involucre; perianth rose-pink to pale pink, 1 cm. |
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Fruits | dark grayish brown, narrowly obovoid, 4–5.3 mm, shaggy-pubescent with spreading hairs often tufted on tubercles, hairs 0.3–0.5 mm, also with layer of minute hairs; ribs usually paler, round-angular, 0.5–1 times width of sulci, as wide as high, irregularly notched or tuberculate, often most deeply so near apex; sulci usually with small dark tubercules or raised, horizontal, riblike tubercles. |
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Mirabilis jalapa |
Mirabilis gigantea |
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Phenology | Flowering spring–fall. | |
Habitat | Sandy, open fields or woods | |
Elevation | 200-300 m (700-1000 ft) | |
Distribution |
AL; AR; AZ; CA; CT; DC; FL; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MD; MS; NC; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TX; UT; VA; VT; Mexico [Introduced in North America and elsewhere]
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OK; TX |
Discussion | Varieties 2 (1 in the flora). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
In the northern portion of the range, Mirabilis gigantea appears to intergrade with M. albida. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 4, p. 42. | FNA vol. 4, p. 55. |
Parent taxa | Nyctaginaceae > Mirabilis > sect. Mirabilis | Nyctaginaceae > Mirabilis > sect. Oxybaphus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Subordinate taxa | ||
Synonyms | Allionia gigantea, Oxybaphus giganteus | |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 177. (1753) | (Standley) Shinners: Field & Lab. 19: 177. (1951) |
Web links |
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