Four O'Clock Flower (Mirabilis jalapa): Benefits, Uses, and How to Grow It from Seed

When I was a child in the countryside, I often saw four o'clock flowers. Back then I didn't know their scientific name. They have many names: some people call them rouge flower, some call them landmine flower, because their seeds look like landmines. Though inconspicuous, the roots and leaves of the four o'clock flower can be used medicinally. So what are the benefits and uses of the four o'clock flower? How do you grow it from seed? What benefits do the roots of the four o'clock flower have for men?

I. Introduction to the Four O'Clock Flower

1. Overview of the four o'clock flower

The four o'clock flower has many names, and they vary from region to region, such as rouge flower, cooking flower, landmine flower, grass jasmine, night beauty, evening flower, bath flower, and so on. It belongs to the family Nyctaginaceae. Although its name contains “jasmine”, it is not a jasmine.

2. Morphological characteristics

The four o'clock flower is a perennial herbaceous plant. The plant can reach about 1 m in height. Its leaves are ovate-triangular, opposite, bright green, with pale veins inside; the flowers are trumpet-shaped with five lobes, 2 to 3 cm in diameter and 4 to 5 cm long, mostly bright red or purple, but also white, pink, yellow and mixed colors; the fruit is hard and black, closely resembling a landmine, hence the name “landmine flower”.

The four o'clock flower blooms from 4 p.m. to 10 a.m. the next day, which is why it is called the “four o'clock flower” in English; because it often blooms during the time when people bathe and cook in the evening, it also has the aliases “bath flower” and “cooking flower”; the flowers wither the next morning. Because the floral tube of the four o'clock flower is long and slender, large nocturnal lepidopterans find it difficult to reach the nectar, and its pollination is generally carried out by hawk moths.

II. Benefits and Uses of the Four O'Clock Flower

1. Ornamental value

The four o'clock flower is a flowering plant with low-maintenance management. It is very easy to cultivate and has high ornamental value, with a faint jasmine fragrance, making it an excellent landscaping plant.

2. Medicinal value

Benefit one: the roots and leaves of the four o'clock flower can be used medicinally, with effects of promoting diuresis, clearing heat, and invigorating blood and dispersing stasis. In some folk remedies, the whole plant can be used as medicine, and it can treat irregular menstruation, urinary tract infections, diabetes, traumatic injuries, prostatitis, adnexitis, cervicitis, mastitis, boils, amenorrhea, leukorrhea and many other conditions.

Benefit two: the fruit of the four o'clock flower, ground into powder and mixed with water and applied externally, can treat skin ulcers; the white powder inside the seeds (also called the endosperm) can treat facial spots and moles, acne, and yellow fluid blisters on the skin; when they rupture and ooze yellow fluid, it can also be used as cosmetic powder.

Benefit three: the flowers of the four o'clock flower can be used for colitis, abdominal bloating and diarrhea.

Benefit four: the stems and leaves of the four o'clock flower treat sores, ulcers, swellings and boils; use fresh four o'clock flower pounded into a paste for poulticing, or boil it in water for external washing.

3. Usage and dosage of the four o'clock flower

Internal use: decocted in water, 15-25 g (25-50 g of fresh material).

External use: pounded and applied.

4. Dietary contraindications of the four o'clock flower

The roots, stems and seeds of the four o'clock flower all have a purgative effect. Pregnant women should not take it, so as to avoid any impact on the fetus and the pregnant woman herself.

5. Folk remedies of the four o'clock flower

(1) To treat leukorrhea: stew 1 liang of white-flowered four o'clock flower root, 5 qian of white rose of Sharon, and 5 qian of white peony with meat and eat.

(2) To treat red flooding (abnormal uterine bleeding): stew 2 liang of red-flowered four o'clock flower root, 1 liang of red cockscomb root, 1 liang of “dizziness herb”, and 5 qian of rabbit-ear wind with pig trotters and eat.

(3) To treat carbuncles and back sores: take one fresh four o'clock flower root, peel and wash it, add a little brown sugar, pound into a paste, apply to the affected area, and change it twice a day.

Note: if you need to take the four o'clock flower, it is best to consult a professional doctor for advice before use.

III. Benefits of Four O'Clock Flower Root for Men

According to the “Supplement to the Compendium of Materia Medica”, the root of the four o'clock flower can “treat breast abscess and white turbidity.” White turbidity is also called dripping white, which is post-urination white dripping caused by chronic prostatitis; over a long period this can have a great impact on sexual function. Therefore, the four o'clock flower has a certain therapeutic effect on prostatitis in men. If it needs to be taken, it is best to consult a professional doctor for advice before use.

IV. How Do You Grow the Four O'Clock Flower from Seed?

The four o'clock flower is a very easy plant to cultivate. It can be managed with minimal care; with sunlight, water and soil it will grow well, so propagating it by sowing seed is extremely easy. About 2 weeks after the seeds are sown, they will sprout.

1. Soil

The four o'clock flower is not demanding about soil. This plant is highly adaptable, but to grow better, fertile soil with good drainage is preferable. It can be grown in the open ground or in pots.

2. Climate

The four o'clock flower likes a warm and humid climate. It is not cold-tolerant, and grows best in slightly shaded spots.

3. Growing the four o'clock flower in pots

Before sowing the four o'clock flower, you can soak the seeds in water for one hour; after the seeds swell from absorbing water, burying them in soil will give a somewhat higher germination rate. Of course, not soaking them also works, and as long as a constant temperature is maintained, this flower can be sown in all four seasons and can be managed with minimal care.

4. Open-ground cultivation

In the south, sow directly in the open ground in mid-to-late March; in the north, in mid-to-late April. Sow 3-4 seeds per hole, and after the seedlings emerge, keep 2 robust plants per hole. Management is relatively minimal: aside from applying some base fertilizer when preparing the soil, generally no further fertilizing is needed, and if the weather is not dry, there is no need to water.

If you want four o'clock flowers in different colors, you can plant several colors together.

Who would have thought that the four o'clock flower commonly seen by the roadside in childhood has so many benefits, especially its certain therapeutic effect on gynecological conditions, and in summer it can also help repel mosquitoes. If you see a four o'clock flower outside, why not save its seeds and take them home to plant!