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White Four O'Clock

Mirabilis albida

Other common name(s):

Dwarf Four O'clock

Family:

Nyctaginaceae (Four-O'Clock Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Chihuahuan Basins and Playas, Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands, Chihuahuan Montane Woodlands, Low Mountains and Bajadas, Stockton Plateau
Carbonate Cross Timbers, Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift, Semiarid Edwards Plateau
Coastal Sand Plain, Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Southern Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Herbaceous

Height

1
to
3
ft.

Spread

1
to
3
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Rocky, Dry

Light Requirement

Sun

Water Requirement

Low

Native Habitat

Grassland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White, Red, Pink, Purple

Bloom Season

Summer, Fall

Seasonal Interest

Nectar, Flowers

Wildlife Benefit

Hummingbirds

Maintenance

Grows in dry soils, meadows and hillsides, dry prairies, pastures, rocky bluffs, open wooded hillsides, roadsides, sandhills and barrens.

Comments

Blooms August-October. White Four O’Clock is a herbaceous to sub-shrub perennial. It has cluster of white, pink, red or violet flowers. The upper stem and flowers are covered with thick, glandular hairs. The leaves may be hairy or not. The roots are woody.
Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonym(s): Allionia albida, Allionia bracteata, Allionia coahuilensis, Allionia grayana, Allionia pauciflora, Allionia pseudaggregata, Allionia rotata, Mirabilis albida var. lata, Mirabilis albida var. uniflora, Mirabilis coahuilensis, Mirabilis dumetorum, Mirabilis entricha, Mirabilis grayana, Mirabilis oblongifolia, Mirabilis pauciflora, Mirabilis pseudaggregata, Mirabilis rotata, Oxybaphus albidus, Oxybaphus coahuilensis, Oxybaphus pauciflorus, Oxybaphus pseudaggregatus, Oxybaphus rotatus

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 48. 3) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MIAL4. 4) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Mirabilis+albida&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 5) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=15417&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 6) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=19626#null, 7) https://warcapps.usgs.gov/PlantID/Species/Details/2619

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