Mirabilis jalapa L.

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Hysteria Lane, Area 3, Lilongwe

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Synonyms:
Common names:	Beauty-of-the-night (English) Four o'clock flower (English) Marvel-of-Peru (English)
Frequency:
Status:	Introduced
Description:	Herb up to 1.5 m tall. Leaves 3.5-13 × 2-8 cm ovate, glabrous to puberulent, entire; apex acuminate; margin ciliate; rhaphides conspicuous beneath. Inflorescences terminal. Involucre divided ± halfway into 5 triangular to ovate lobes. Perianth 4-5.5 cm long, tubular; lower portion green; upper portion spreading, purple, red, yellow, white or variegated. Stamens 5-6, exserted. Anthocarp 7-9 mm long, ellipsoid to subspherical, ribbed or angled, black.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	jalapa: from Xalapa (Jalapa), capital of Veracruz state, Mexico.
Habitat:	In disturbed places, often on roadsides, sometimes in woodland and by streams
Altitude range:
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	Native from Mexico to Central America; introduced elsewhere.
Malawi distribution:	N,C,S
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Content last updated:	Wednesday 4 September 2024
Literature:	Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 216. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 64. Stannard, B.L. (1988). Nyctaginaceae Flora Zambesiaca 9(1) Pages 13 - 14. (Includes a picture).

Other sources of information about Mirabilis jalapa:

Our websites:

Flora of Burundi: Mirabilis jalapa
Flora of Mozambique: Mirabilis jalapa
Flora of Mozambique: cultivated Mirabilis jalapa
Flora of Zambia: Mirabilis jalapa
Flora of Zimbabwe: Mirabilis jalapa
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Mirabilis jalapa

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Mirabilis jalapa
African Plant Database: Mirabilis jalapa
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Mirabilis jalapa
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Mirabilis jalapa
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Mirabilis jalapa
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Mirabilis jalapa
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Mirabilis jalapa
JSTOR Plant Science: Mirabilis jalapa
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Mirabilis jalapa
Plants of the World Online: Mirabilis jalapa
Tropicos: Mirabilis jalapa
Wikipedia: Mirabilis jalapa