''Mirabilis'' is a genus of plants in the family
Nyctaginaceae
Nyctaginaceae, the four o'clock family, is a family of around 33 genera and 290 species of flowering plants, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, with a few representatives in temperate regions. The family has a unique fruit t ...
known as the four-o'clocks or umbrellaworts.
The best known species may be ''
Mirabilis jalapa
''Mirabilis jalapa'', the marvel of Peru or four o'clock flower, is the most commonly grown ornamental species of ''Mirabilis'' plant, and is available in a range of colors. ''Mirabilis'' in Latin means wonderful and Xalapa, Jalapa (or Xalapa) is ...
'', the plant most commonly called four o'clock.
There are several dozen species in the genus, of herbaceous plants, mostly found in the
Americas
The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America, North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. ...
. Some form
tuberous roots that enable them to perennate through dry and cool seasons. They have small, often fragrant, deep-throated
flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanis ...
s.
Although best known as
ornamental plant
Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...
s, at least one species, ''mauka'' (''
M. expansa''), is grown for food.
Selected species
*''
Mirabilis albida''
(Walter) Heimerl
*''
Mirabilis alipes''
(S.Watson) Pilz
*''
Mirabilis coccinea''
(Torr.) Benth. & Hook.f.
*''
Mirabilis elegans''
(Choisy) Heimerl
*''
Mirabilis expansa
''Mirabilis expansa'' (mauka or chago) is a species of flowering plant cultivated as a root vegetable in the Andes, at cold, windy altitudes between and .Flores, H., Walker, T., Guimaraes, R., Bais, H., Vivanco, J. (2003). Andean Root and Tuber ...
''
(Ruiz & Pav.) Standl.
*''
Mirabilis greenei''
S.Watson
*''
Mirabilis himalaica''
(Edgew.) Heimerl
**''Mirabilis himalaica'' var. ''chinensis''
Heimerl
**''Mirabilis himalaica'' var. ''himalaica''
*''
Mirabilis jalapa
''Mirabilis jalapa'', the marvel of Peru or four o'clock flower, is the most commonly grown ornamental species of ''Mirabilis'' plant, and is available in a range of colors. ''Mirabilis'' in Latin means wonderful and Xalapa, Jalapa (or Xalapa) is ...
''
L.
*''
Mirabilis laevis''
(Benth.) Curran
**''Mirabilis laevis'' var. ''crassifolia''
(Choisy) Spellenb.
**''Mirabilis laevis'' var. ''laevis''
**''Mirabilis laevis'' var. ''retrorsa''
(A.Heller) Jeps.
**''Mirabilis laevis'' var. ''villosa''
(Kellogg) Spellenb.
*''
Mirabilis linearis''
(Pursh) Heimerl
**''Mirabilis linearis'' var. ''decipiens''
(Standl.) S.L.Welsh
**''Mirabilis linearis'' var. ''linearis''
**''Mirabilis linearis'' var. ''subhispida''
(Heimerl) Spellenb.
*''
Mirabilis longiflora''
L.
*''
Mirabilis macfarlanei''
Constance & Rollins
*''
Mirabilis multiflora''
(Torr.) A.Gray
*''
Mirabilis nyctaginea''
(Michx.) MacMill.
*''
Mirabilis oblongifolia''
*''
Mirabilis oxybaphoides''
(A.Gray) A.Gray
*''
Mirabilis pumila''
*''
Mirabilis rotundifolia''
(Greene) Standl.
*''
Mirabilis tenuiloba''
*''
Mirabilis viscosa''
Cav.
References
External links
Night-blooming plants
Caryophyllales genera
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
{{Caryophyllales-stub