Bigelow's Four O'Clock
Desert Wishbone Bush
Mirabilis bigelovii
Mirabilis laevis var. villosa
PERENNIAL HERB: Mostly herbaceous, but the crown and some small portions
are definately woody. Above ground stems are weak and tend to climb upon other
shrubs almost vine-like.
LEAVES: Heart-shaped, opposite leaves are quite sticky due to
abundant glandular hairs.
RANGE: Fairly common on rocky slopes and beneath desert trees in the
Sonoran Desert of Arizona and Sonora.
FLOWERS: Five or so flowers grouped together and arrayed in a radial
pattern appear as a single flower. Corollas are white or pink. Flowering mostly
mid to late spring and then again to a lesser extent in late summer and autumn.
FRUIT: A dry capsule with many seeds.
UNARMED.
The Five-lined Sphinx (Hyles lineata) moth is often associated with four o'clocks. The adult moth takes nectar from the tubular flowers and the caterpillars are often found eating the leaves.