superbloomings:
Let’s take a look at Wishbone Bush (Mirábilis laèvis). Found in the Four O'Clock...
Let’s take a look at Wishbone Bush (Mirábilis laèvis).
Found in the Four O'Clock Family (Nyctaginaceae) these perenial herbs are pollinated at night, with blossoms opening mid-afternoon and closing early the following morning. The name Wishbone is derived from the way their woody stems grow.
Fun fact: This flower does not have petals. They are sepals and they are in the same family as Bougainvillea.
Note the mutation! This is my first observed mutation of this plant. Note the magenta interior star shape on the sepals. Extraordinary. Normally, this low-lying, cheerful herbaceous plant is exclusively magenta with a typical bloom cycle from March through May.
Mirábilis is Latin for miraculous.
References:
Dale, N. (2000). Flowering plants of the Santa Monica Mountains: Coastal and chaparral regions of Southern California. Sacramento: California Native Plant Society.
McAuley, M., & Kenney, J. P. (1985). Wildflowers of the Santa Monica mountains. Canoga Park, CA: Canyon Pub.
