Four-O’clock (Mirabilis) is a
tender perennial. Some species
are grown as an
ornamental while others are considered a
noxious weed in its native Americas.
This plant has some amazing strategies to pass on its genes to the next generation..
It is intensely fragrant and the blooms open from late
afternoon until morning. This makes them very attractive to
sphynx moths, which serve as pollinators.
Flowers that have been pollinated close by 7:30 a.m. while those
that have not been pollinated remain open until 11 a.m. giving the day light loving birds and bees
a chance at the nectar and the
plant another chance to get pollinated by concentrating pollinator visits to the as yet, unpollinated blooms.
These strategies yield a very high rate of
seed formation in 65% of the flowers . Interesting to me is the
fact that only one large seed is formed per flower. Seeds
are highly viable and in the wild most germinate near the
mother plant. Roots are tuberous and form a deep taproot, enhancing survival of the mother plant from year to year.
Four-O’clock is a nice plant for the person who only gets to spend time in the garden in the evening or for the spot in the garden where the hard working gardener is most likely to park her tired self after dark. The great smell permeates the area, especially at night. The nocturnal moths are fun to observe and hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies frequent it in the morning . One more strategy - be attractive enough to get the humans to nurture you!