Scientific Family
Nyctaginaceae
Synonyms
Oxybaphus multiflorus
Other common names
desert four o'clock
wild four o'clock
maravilla
showy four o'clock
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
1 to 3-1/2 feet
Riparian
No
Perennial herb to subshrub, forming round clumps 2 to 3-1/2 feet in diameter; stems 15 to 24 inches long; diffusely branched; herbage without hairs or densely hairy.
5-parted flowers, 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 inches long; 6 to 8 funnel-form flowers per whorl of bracts; fruit not strongly 5-angled.
Habitat
Common in open sandy areas among juniper and pinyon, extends from creosote flats of the low desert to chaparral and into ponderosa pine forests, roadsides, open sand areas and mesas.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
2500
High elevation
6500
Flower Characteristics
Magenta-purple sepals, funnel-shaped with no true petals, to 2-1/2 inches wide. Flowers are in groups of 6 to 8 and in leaf axils and open in late afternoon and wither the next morning.
Flower color
Purple to pink
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
Yes
First bloom month
April
Last bloom month
September
Flower clusters
Rounded
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Leaves spreading; blades at mid-stem ovate to widely ovate, base rounded to heart-shaped, often asymmetric, tip of leaves pointed or not pointed, rarely rounded. Stems and leaves without hairs to densely hairy.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Dark green
Leaf shape
Triangular
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Smooth or rough, ovate, 1/2 inch long, sometimes with tan and brown ribs.
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit color
Brown