Plant Image
Flower
Willow Dells Tr - Sue Smith


Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants

Mirabilis longiflora - sweet four o'clock

Synonyms: Mirabilis longiflora var. wrightiana
Other Common Names: long-flowered four o'clock, longtube four o'clock
Plant Form: Forb or Subshrub

Family: Nyctaginaceae


   
 
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Flower
Willow Dells Tr
Sue Smith
Flower
Willow Dells Tr
Sue Smith
Flower buds
Willow Dells Tr
Sue Smith
Leaves
Willow Dells Tr
Sue Smith
Plant - summer
Willow Dells Tr
Sue Smith
Forb Plant Description

Origin: Native   Life Cycle: Perennial
General Desc: Heavily branched dark green forb with tuberous roots. The long white, tubular flowers with exerted pinkish-purple stamens and pistil are fragrant and open in the shade of the late afternoon.
Identification notes: Plant remarkable for 3 to 7 inch long slender white or pinkish tubular flowers and pinkish-purple exerted stamens and pistil. Each flower has 5 united sepals and a whorl of bracts; fruit is bluntly 5-angled in cross-section.
Height: To 5 feet


Habitat

Habitat Description: Rocky canyons and slopes, rich soils among trees and shrubs.
Plant Communities: Pinyon Juniper Woodland, Montane Conifer Forest, Riparian
Elevation: 2500 - 7000 feet


Flower Characteristics

Color: White, pinkish, purplish     Shape: Regular in round clusters     Tubular: Y     Flowering Period: Aug - Sep
Description: 3 to 7 inches long, with a red throat, spreading into a long flower 1/2 to 3/4 inch across at the opening, with 6 long, purple stamens and red anthers. Flower buds form loose clusters near the top of the plant but only 1 or 2 bloom at a time.


Leaf and Stem Characteristics

Leaf Color: Dark green     Leaf Type: Simple     Leaf Shape: Triangular     Leaf Margin: Smooth     Leaf Attachment: Opposite     Leaves Clasp: N
Hairs: Stems     Spines: N
Leaf Description: The lower leaves have stems 1-1/2 inches long; the upper leaves have no stem and taper to a sharp point. Leaves are 3 to 4 inches long. Branches and the flowers grow out of the leaf axils. The stem is heavy, brittle, and sticky.


Fruit and Seed Characteristics

Fruit Color: Black to dark brown   
Fruit Type: Achene
Fruit Notes: Bluntly 5-angled in cross section, ovoid.


  Arizona Cooperative Extension
Yavapai County
840 Rodeo Dr #C
Prescott, AZ 86305
(928) 445-6590
Version 8.0  
http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailForb.php  
Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022
Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson  
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