Mirabilis jalapa var. jalapa

Wishbone bush

Family: Nyctaginaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Wishbone bush is a naturalized perennial found in the San Francisco Bay Area in disturbed places with mild winters at elevations below 300 meters. Flowering from May to October, this plant produces dramatic funnel-shaped flowers that range from bright magenta to yellow, white, and orange, sometimes appearing variegated. Growing up to one meter tall with erect stems that have sparse or no hairs, it develops distinctive umbel-like flower clusters. Its large leaves measure 5 to 14 centimeters long, shaped broadly ovate to heart-shaped. The fruit is an interesting 8 to 10 millimeter ovoid structure with 5 blunt ribs that appear slightly wrinkled or warty.

Habitat: Disturbed places with mild winters

Bloom period: Generally May-Oct

Elevation: < 300 m

Bioregions: CA-FP (esp SnFrB)

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.