| Colorado Four O' Clock, Mirabilis multiflora. At Yarnell, Arizona. September 30, 2006. |
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| Desert Four O' Clock Mirabilis multiflora. | Showy Four O' Clock Mirabilis multiflora. |
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Colorado Four O' Clock.
We wish to thank Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for some of the information on this page. We share images and information with Wikipedia. Mirabilis multiflora is a species of flowering plant in the four o'clock family known by the common name Colorado four o'clock. It is native to the southwestern United States from California to Colorado and Texas, as well as far northern Mexico, where it grows in mostly dry habitat types in a number of regions. It is a perennial herb growing upright to about 44 inches, in maximum height. The leaves are oppositely arranged on the spreading stem branches. Each fleshy leaf has an oval or rounded blade up to 12 centimeters long and is hairless or sparsely hairy. The flowers occur in leaf axils on the upper branches. Usually six flowers bloom in a bell-shaped involucre of five partly fused bracts. Each five-lobed, funnel-shaped flower is 4 to 6 centimeters wide and magenta in color. Mirabilis multiflora is a perennial, dicot, herb, growing to 3 - 4 feet wide and about 12 - 24 inches high. It is hardy to zone 8 and is frost tender. It is in flower from July - October at 4,800 feet elevation. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). The plant will grow in almost any well-drained soil. The plant is not particular as to soil pH. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil. The photos on this page are of a plant under the shade of a shrub.
Quick Notes:
Height: A herb, about 12 - 24 inches high & 3 - 4 feet wide. Can grow to about 44 inches, in maximum height.
Flowers: Funnel - shaped, purple - magenta, petal - like calyx, no true petals, up to about 1 inch wide. Usually in groups of 3 to 6 bell shaped cups in the leaf axils.
Flowering Time: April - Mid October.
Leaves: The leaves are smooth - edged, oval to heart - shaped, up to about 4 inches long. They bloom and wither the next morning.
Fruit: The fruit is an achene with a bristly pappus 0.6 to 0.8 inch long.
Stems: Normally 1, naked, erect, thinly gray-tomentose, sometimes � glabrate; branches from few - many, usually branching from above the middle, then ascending.
Found: Native to the southwestern United States, (AZ, CA, CO, NM, NV, TX, UT); as well as far south as northern Mexico. ( Sonora, and Baja California ).
Hardiness:
USDA Zone 5a: to -28.8 �C (-20 �F)
Soil pH requirements:
Sun Exposure:
Elevation: 2,500 to 6,500 Feet.
Habitat: Commonly found in sandy washes, gravelly open ground, dry barren places, compacted soil, and along roadsides. Well drained soil is preferred.
Miscellaneous: Flowering Photos Taken At Yarnell, Arizona. September 30, 2006.
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