Colorado Four O’Clock

(Mirabilis multiflora)

Colorado Four O’Clock (Mirabilis multiflora)

Nolan Exe

CC BY 4.0

Image By: Nolan Exe

Recorded By:

Estimated Native Range

Summary

Mirabilis multiflora, commonly known as Colorado Four O’Clock, is a deciduous perennial herb or subshrub native to arid and semi-arid regions, including desert scrub, rocky slopes, and open woodlands in the Southwestern United States, California, and Northern Mexico. It typically grows upright to about 80 centimeters (31 inches) in height. The plant features oppositely arranged leaves on spreading stem branches, with each fleshy leaf having an oval or rounded blade up to 12 centimeters (4.7 inches) long, which is hairless or sparsely hairy. Colorado Four O’Clock is particularly noted for its magenta flowers, which bloom in the evening and close by morning. The flowers are arranged in clusters in the leaf axils on the upper branches, with usually six flowers blooming within a bell-shaped involucre of five partly fused bracts. Each five-lobed, funnel-shaped flower is 4 to 6 centimeters (1.6 to 2.4 inches) wide and is quite showy, attracting pollinators such as hummingbirds and hawk moths.

In cultivation, Colorado Four O’Clock is valued for its drought tolerance and vibrant magenta flowers, which can add a splash of color to xeriscapes, rock gardens, and native plantings. It is also used for erosion control due to its spreading habit. This plant thrives in full sun, requires low amounts of water, and prefers well-drained soils. While it is generally low-maintenance, it can spread aggressively if conditions are favorable, and may require management to prevent it from overtaking other plants in the garden.CC BY-SA 4.0

Plant Description

Plant Type: Herb, Subshrub
Height: 1-2 feet
Width: 3-5 feet
Growth Rate: Moderate
Flower Color: Purple, Pink
Flowering Season: Spring, Fall, Summer
Leaf Retention: Deciduous

Growth Requirements

Sun: Full Sun
Water: Low
Drainage: Fast, Medium

Common Uses

Bee Garden, Bird Garden, Butterfly Garden, Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant, Edible*Disclaimer: Easyscape's listed plant edibility is for informational use. Always verify the safety and proper identification of any plant before consumption., Fragrant, Groundcover, Hummingbird Garden, Low Maintenance, Rabbit Resistant, Rock Garden, Showy Flowers

Natural Habitat

native to arid and semi-arid regions, including desert scrub, rocky slopes, and open woodlands in the Southwestern United States, California, and Northern Mexico

Other Names

Common Names: Colorado Four-O’Clock, Manyflowered Four-O’Clock, Froebel’s Four-O’Clock

Scientific Names: , Mirabilis multiflora, Mirabilis multiflora var. multiflora, Quamoclidion multiflorum, Quamoclidion multiflorum subsp. obtusum, Quamoclidion cordifolium, Oxybaphus multiflorus, Mirabilis multiflora var. obtusa, Nyctaginia torreyana,

GBIF Accepted Name: Mirabilis multiflora (Torr.) Gray