A Colorful Wonder of the Tropics
The Marvel-of-Peru (Mirabilis jalapa), also known as the Four O’Clock Flower, is a stunning and fascinating plant beloved by gardeners for its vibrant blooms and unique flowering habits. Native to tropical South America, especially Peru, this flower has now spread to warm climates across the globe, captivating admirers with its showy petals, diverse colors, and sweet fragrance.
What makes the Marvel-of-Peru so special is its incredible variety of colors. A single plant can produce flowers of different shades—yellow, pink, red, white, and even bicolored or speckled blooms. Sometimes, a single flower displays more than one color, giving the plant a magical, kaleidoscopic appearance. This unusual trait is due to a phenomenon called sectorial chimera, where different genetic expressions occur in different parts of the flower.
The common name “Four O’Clock Flower” comes from the plant’s intriguing blooming schedule. The flowers typically open in the late afternoon, around 4 PM, and remain open throughout the evening and night, closing again by morning. This behavior is a clever adaptation to attract night-pollinating insects such as moths, and it gives gardens a fresh burst of color just as the day begins to wind down.
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| Device | Redmi 13 Pro |
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| Edit | Pixlab |
| Captured by | @handsomecho |
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