Mirabilis multiflora var. glandulosa

Colorado four o'clock

Family: Nyctaginaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Colorado four o'clock is a California native perennial found in the northern Mojave Desert, specifically Inyo County, in dry, rocky or sandy places at elevations of 900 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces magenta to pink flowers with short-acuminate bracts. Growing with spreading stems up to 60 centimeters tall, it forms a robust and somewhat sprawling habit. Its leaves are broadly ovate to rounded, with a soft, slightly fleshy texture that helps it survive in arid environments. When wet, the fruit becomes gelatinous and develops faint warty ribs, a unique characteristic of this desert-adapted species.

Habitat: Dry, rocky or sandy places

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 900-2500 m

Bioregions: W&ampI, n DMoj (Inyo Co.)

California counties: Mono, Inyo, Kern, San Bernardino, Tulare

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