Scientific Family
Nyctaginaceae
Synonyms
Allionia incarnata var. glabra
Other common names
Smooth Trailing Four O'Clock
Trailing Four O'Clock
Umbrellawort
Garapatilla
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
1 to 3 feet
Riparian
No
Stems hairy, especially above, sometimes smooth nearer base, often reddish; leaves wavy; flowers pale bright pink to nearly white.
Annual; leaves wavy, white-waxy on lower surface; fruits shallowly curved looking somewhat like a tick; lateral ribs develop as curved wings with 4 to 8 slender teeth; stalked glands are found on the inwardly curving side of the fruit.
Habitat
Open arid areas, often on sandy or gravelly soils, sometimes on clay or gypsum.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Low elevation
4000
High elevation
6000
Flower Characteristics
Whorled bracts at base of flower; 1/4 inch long and round when mature with fine, short hairs, often sticky; calyx 1/4 inch long, purplish-red; sepals and petals pale to bright pink to nearly white.
Flower color
Pale to bright pink to nearly white
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
July
Last bloom month
October
Flower clusters
None
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Leaves progressively reduced and proportionally narrower further from the base; blade usually strongly pleated-wavy, sometimes flat, 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches long, egg-shaped; margins strongly wavy, sometimes smooth.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Round or oval
Leaf margin
Lobed
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Fruit 1/8 to 1/4 inch long, shallowly convex; lateral ribs with 4 to 8 teeth, teeth slender and tapering gradually to narrow tip, sometimes gland-tipped; concave side with 5 to 7 glands per row.
Fruit type
Pod