How to Propagate Four O'Clock Flowers and How They Differ from Night-Blooming Jasmine
Four o'clock flowers (Mirabilis jalapa) are often mistaken for night-blooming jasmine, and many people cannot tell them apart. How do you propagate four o'clock flowers? How do they differ from night-blooming jasmine? How to propagate four o'clock flowers: seed propagation of four o'clock flowers is very simple, and four o'clock flowers have a strong ability to self-sow, so
Four o'clock flowers are often mistaken for night-blooming jasmine, and many people cannot tell them apart. How do you propagate four o'clock flowers? How do they differ from night-blooming jasmine?
How to propagate four o'clock flowers:
1. Seed propagation of four o'clock flowers
Seed propagation of four o'clock flowers is very simple, and four o'clock flowers have a strong ability to self-sow, so how should four o'clock flowers be sown?
Four o'clock flowers are generally sown in spring, bloom in summer, and produce fruit in autumn.
Every year in March to April, sow the seeds of four o'clock flowers. If the temperature is kept between 15°C and 20°C and moisture is maintained, they will germinate and grow into seedlings within a week. When the seedlings have grown 2 to 4 leaves, they can be transplanted. After transplanting, pay attention to shading and care.
Four o'clock flowers grow relatively quickly, and there are no difficult points in their care. Just pay attention to appropriate fertilizing and watering. Because it is a flower with a deep root system, it is not suitable to sow in a seedbed. You can sow it in a small flower pot, and once it grows to a transplantable size, transplant it.
Self-sowing of four o'clock flowers is also very simple. After four o'clock flowers set seed, let the seeds fall off on their own, and they will easily germinate the following year.
2. Propagation from old roots of four o'clock flowers
As four o'clock flowers grow, the underground roots gradually age. Do not think this means they are beyond saving; old roots can also be reused to propagate new four o'clock flowers.
When winter temperatures are low, the above-ground plant of four o'clock flowers has already rotted away. At this time, you can dig out the roots of four o'clock flowers and store them. After digging out the roots, dry the root tubers of four o'clock flowers until the surface is dry. After that, store them in a cool, dry place. Be careful not to water them, and keep the temperature at around 10°C. In the spring of the following year, they can be replanted.
3. Cutting propagation of four o'clock flowers
Cuttings are a common method of flower propagation, and four o'clock flowers can also be propagated by cuttings. Remove the young shoots of four o'clock flowers (base shoots, terminal buds, axillary buds) and use them as cuttings. Insert them into soil mixed with cinder, sand, and garden soil. Keep the temperature at around 20°C, and they will generally take root after 10 days. Once rooted, transplant them.
Differences between four o'clock flowers and night-blooming jasmine:
1. Different appearance
Four o'clock flowers: Their roots look relatively thick and strong, shaped like a cone, and are black or dark brown in color. The stem is upright, cylindrical in shape, with no hairs or sparsely growing fine soft hairs. The leaves are ovate, with no hairs growing on either side. In addition, its flowers often grow in several blooms at the top, in colors of purplish red, yellow, white, or mixed colors. They are extremely ornamental.
Night-blooming jasmine: It is a relatively weak shrub, with many soft hairs on the small branches. The color is yellow-green, and the old branches are grayish brown. The leaves are membranous, ovate-oblong in shape. Its inflorescence is umbel-like, bearing 30 flowers, usually white in color, and accompanied by fragrance.
2. Different blooming times
Their blooming times are different. Four o'clock flowers generally bloom during the day, and the flowers are accompanied by a fragrance that smells very pleasant. But night-blooming jasmine, just as its name suggests, usually only blooms at night. Although it also has a fragrance when blooming, it should not be smelled too much, because this fragrance is toxic, while the fragrance of four o'clock flowers is not toxic. So based on this point alone, there is a big difference between them.
3. Different effects
Although both can be used medicinally, their effects are different.
Four o'clock flowers: Both its roots and stems can be used medicinally, with effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, and promoting blood circulation and regulating menstruation. In addition, the white powder of its seeds can also remove acne from the face. It is precisely because of these effects that it has been used to make various medicines, and the conditions they treat are also different.
Night-blooming jasmine: Its flowers are relatively fragrant. Although toxic, if used medicinally, it has very high value. For example, if its flowers and leaves are made into medicine, they can effectively cleanse our liver and protect our eyes. There is also a certain basis for this. In South China, local people use it to treat conjunctivitis, eye diseases, and other conditions, with very good results.
Well, that concludes the introduction to the differences between four o'clock flowers and night-blooming jasmine. I hope everyone understands now.
Four o'clock flower Mirabilis jalapa Linn. Four o'clock flower guide: how to grow four o'clock flowers / how to propagate four o'clock flowers
Four o'clock flower profileFour o'clock flower Mirabilis jalapa Linn.
How to grow four o'clock flowers and precautions, introduction to four o'clock flowers
Four o'clock flower is a perennial herbaceous flower, often cultivated as an annual, and can reach up to 1 m in height. It is a tuberous-root plant, with thick, fleshy roots that are obconical, black or dark brown. The main stem is upright, cylindrical, much branched, hairless or sparsely covered with fine soft hairs, with slightly swollen nodes.
Four o'clock flower leaves are opposite, ovate or heart-shaped, with lighter-colored veins inside. Several flowers are clustered on the involucre. The calyx is petal-like, trumpet-shaped, in colors such as red, orange, yellow, white, and purple, or with stripes, blotches, or two colors alternating, and fragrant. The fruit is black, ovate, with a wrinkled surface. It is a ridged tuberous-root plant, with thick, fleshy roots that are obconical, black or dark brown. The 1000-seed weight is about 109 grams. At the base of the flower, the seed changes from a initially light tender color to black when mature. The endosperm inside the seed is white and delicate, making it a natural ideal cosmetic. The roots are spindle-shaped, fleshy, with a brownish-black surface.
The endosperm inside the seed of four o'clock flower is white and delicate, making it a natural ideal cosmetic. The 1000-seed weight is about 109 g. The roots are spindle-shaped, fleshy, with a brownish-black surface.
Four o'clock flowers are suitable for courtyard cultivation and give off a strong fragrance at dusk. The leaves and endosperm can be made into cosmetic powder; the roots and leaves can be used medicinally. It is native to the tropical regions of the Americas and is one of China's invasive alien species. It is often cultivated as an ornamental flower across northern and southern China, and is an ornamental flower.
Morphological characteristics of four o'clock flowers
Four o'clock flowers bloom small purple flowers in summer and autumn. The leaves are ovate or heart-shaped, opposite. The flowers are fragrant, several clustered on the involucre, opening from evening to early morning, giving off a strong fragrance at dusk, and closing under strong sunlight. The calyx is petal-like, trumpet-shaped. The fruit is ovate, black, with a wrinkled surface and ridges, so the fruit has the elegant nickname "little landmine."
The main stem of four o'clock flowers is upright, 50-100 cm tall, with swollen nodes, much branched and spreading. The leaves are simple and opposite, ovate or ovate-triangular, with entire margins. The flowers are terminal, with only 1 flower inside the involucre, and no petals. The calyx is petal-like, trumpet-shaped, about 2.5 cm in diameter. The flowers open in the afternoon and wither the next morning; they soon fall off, and are fragrant.
The petal-like calyx comes in various colors such as purplish red, pink, red, yellow, and white, as well as mixed colors. Some plants bear two flower colors at once, commonly red plus yellow, or white plus pink.
Leaves are simple and opposite, ovate or ovate-triangular, 3-15 cm long, 2-9 cm wide, with acuminate tips, truncate or cordate bases, entire margins, hairless on both sides, and raised veins; petioles are 1-4 cm long, and the upper leaves are almost sessile. Flowers are often several clustered at the branch tips; the calyx is petal-like, with a style 1-2 mm long; the involucre is bell-shaped, about 1 cm long, 5-lobed. The lobes are triangular-ovate, with acuminate tips, hairless, with vein lines, and persistent in fruit; the perianth is purplish red, yellow, white, or mixed colors (white, yellow, and red are its varieties). It is salver-shaped, with a tube 2-6 cm long, a limb 2.5-3 cm in diameter, and 5 shallow lobes; the flowers open in the afternoon and are fragrant. They wither before noon the next day; there are 5 stamens, with slender filaments often extending beyond the flower, and spherical anthers; the style is solitary, linear, extending beyond the flower. The stigma is head-shaped.
The roots of four o'clock flowers are thick and fleshy, obconical, black or dark brown. The stem is upright, cylindrical, much branched, hairless or sparsely covered with fine soft hairs, with slightly swollen nodes. The leaves are ovate or ovate-triangular, 3-15 cm long, 2-9 cm wide, with acuminate tips, truncate or cordate bases, entire margins, hairless on both sides, and raised veins; petioles are 1-4 cm long, and the upper leaves are almost sessile. Flowers are often several clustered at the branch tips; pedicels are 1-2 mm long; the involucre is bell-shaped, about 1 cm long, 5-lobed, with triangular-ovate lobes, acuminate tips, hairless, with vein lines, and persistent in fruit; the perianth is purplish red, yellow, white, or mixed colors, salver-shaped, with a tube 2-6 cm long, a limb 2.5-3 cm in diameter, and 5 shallow lobes; the flowers open in the afternoon and are fragrant, withering before noon the next day; there are 5 stamens, with slender filaments often extending beyond the flower, and spherical anthers; the style is solitary, linear, extending beyond the flower, with a head-shaped stigma. The achene is spherical, 5-8 mm in diameter, leathery, black, with a wrinkled surface; the seed endosperm is white and powdery.
The seeds of four o'clock flowers are white, and the cotyledons appear as very fine white powder. The flowers are several in terminal clusters and have striped or spotted mixed colors, with a jasmine-like fragrance that feels even more elegant. There is a variety of dwarf four o'clock flower, about 30 cm tall, with small, slender seeds. The achene is spherical, black, with longitudinal ridges and reticulate veins, shaped like a landmine.
The flowering period of four o'clock flowers is June to October, and the fruiting period is August to November.
Ecological habits of four o'clock flowers
Four o'clock flowers are native to the tropical regions of South America. They prefer mild and humid climatic conditions and are not cold-tolerant. In winter, the above-ground parts die off. In the Jiangnan region, the underground parts can safely overwinter and become a perennial herbaceous flower, sending up new plants again in spring the following year. Open-field cultivation requires deep, loose, fertile loam, while potting can use general flower growing medium. They grow even better in slightly shaded places. The flowers open from evening to early morning and close under strong light. If there is shade in summer, they grow and bloom well; under intense summer heat and direct sun, leaf loss often occurs. They like a well-ventilated environment and are commonly cultivated across northern and southern China as ornamental flowers, sometimes escaping into the wild.
They prefer mild and humid climatic conditions and are not cold-tolerant. In winter, the above-ground parts die off. In the Jiangnan region, the underground parts can safely overwinter and become a perennial herbaceous flower, sending up new plants again in spring the following year. Open-field cultivation requires deep, loose, fertile loam, while potting can use general flower growing medium. They grow even better in slightly shaded places. The flowers open from evening to early morning and close under strong light. If there is shade in summer, they grow and bloom well; under intense summer heat and direct sun, leaf loss often occurs. They like a well-ventilated environment, are robust, grow quickly, are not particular about soil, and require only rough management. They have a taproot nature, with few fibrous roots, and do not tolerate transplanting. In summer, they also have a mosquito-repelling effect.
Four o'clock flowers are native to tropical America. They like a warm, humid climate, are not particular about soil, and are not cold-tolerant. In North China they are cultivated as annuals, while south of the Yangtze River they are perennials. They like light, and grow better in slightly shaded places. Four o'clock flowers are robust, grow quickly, and are easy to manage. They are suitable for cluster planting in front of and behind houses, beside hedges and fences, and near open woods. Their seed endosperm can be made into cosmetic powder.
Variety classification of four o'clock flowers
Four o'clock flowers comprise about 30 genera and 300 species, distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, mainly native to tropical America. China has 7 genera, 11 species, and 1 variety, of which 3 are commonly cultivated or naturalized, mainly distributed in South China and Southwest China.
Main tribes and genera
This family is divided into 5 tribes: Mirabileae, Pisonieae, Colignonieae, Boldoeae, and Leucas-tereae. The first 4 tribes have hairless ovaries, with stamens at the base more or less united into a tube, while the latter tribe has hairy ovaries and free filaments. Mirabilis, Boerhavia, and Bougainvillea all belong to the tribe Mirabileae.
The main genera are as follows:
1. Pisonia Linn.
2. Ceodes J. R. et G. Forst.
3. Bougainvillea Comm. ex Juss.
4. Mirabilis Linn.
5. Oxybaphus L'Hér. ex Willd.
6. Boerhavia Linn.
7. Commicarpus Standl.
Identification and differentiation
Blue jasmine and four o'clock flower do not belong to the same family and genus as jasmine. Jasmine belongs to the genus Jasminum in the family Oleaceae, an evergreen shrub or vine; blue jasmine belongs to the genus Plumbago in the family Plumbaginaceae, an evergreen semi-climbing or upright shrub; while four o'clock flower belongs to the genus Mirabilis in the family Nyctaginaceae, a perennial herb.
Distribution range of four o'clock flowers
Four o'clock flowers are native to the tropical regions of the Americas and have been widely introduced and naturalized in temperate to tropical regions of the world. They are often cultivated as ornamental flowers across northern and southern China, sometimes escaping into the wild, and some people also plant them in courtyards (in Hunan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and other regions).
Distribution in China
They are often cultivated as ornamental flowers across northern and southern China, and have escaped into the wild in Hebei, Beijing, Shandong, Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu (southern part), Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Guangdong, Hainan, and other places.
Cultivation techniques of four o'clock flowers, planting techniques
This species is simple to cultivate and manage. Sow in early spring, and it blooms and sets seed in summer and autumn. It tolerates transplanting, grows quickly, and is robust. South of the Yangtze River it is cultivated as a perennial. In North China it is mostly cultivated as an annual, or at the end of autumn the old roots are dug up and placed indoors at 5°C to overwinter, and in the following spring they can still be planted in the open ground, blooming in the afternoon and withering by the next morning.
Four o'clock flowers are robust by nature, highly adaptable, and require only rough care and management. During cultivation, pay attention to:
Propagation
Four o'clock flowers are commonly propagated by seed. They can be directly sown in the open ground in spring, and after emergence, pay attention to thinning; they can also be started as seedlings first, and when the seedlings grow 3-4 true leaves, transplant and set them out, with a plant spacing of about 1250px, and after transplanting pay attention to appropriate shading and watering.
Care and management
Four o'clock flowers are easy to grow, and care and management are relatively rough. Just fertilize and water appropriately during the growing period.
Collecting seeds
Because four o'clock flowers are wind-pollinated, varieties easily hybridize with each other. To ensure that the harvested seeds can maintain good characteristics, different varieties should be cultivated in isolation.
Four o'clock flowers like a warm climate. The soil should be loose, fertile, deep, and humus-rich loam or sandy loam is better. Daily management of four o'clock flowers is relatively simple. Spray some water on clear evenings, and apply dilute fertilizer 1-2 times each week in the evening, which is beneficial for normal growth.
Cultivation management
Four o'clock flowers like a warm climate. The soil should be loose, fertile, deep, and humus-rich loam or sandy loam is better. Four o'clock flowers are mostly propagated by seed, and some are also propagated by underground tubers.
In the region south of the Yangtze River in China, sow at the end of March and the beginning of April. In early February, the seedbed should be deeply dug, finely broken up, and leveled, and made into beds 1 m wide and 6-8 m long. Broadcasting or drilling can be used, requiring even scattering of seeds, covering with a layer of wood ash mixed with soil about 3 cm thick, and watering thoroughly. Usually pay attention to moisture retention. After emergence, apply dilute liquid fertilizer to speed up seedling growth. After summer begins, when the seedlings grow to 5-6 cun tall, robust seedlings can be selected and transplanted into flower nurseries, flower beds, or flower pots.
Four o'clock flowers are rich in flower color, highly resistant, and can self-sow and reproduce. The flowers open at night and close during the day, and are fragrant when blooming. They are suitable for placement in places for enjoying the cool in the evening or at night, adding much charm. They can be planted in clusters in front of and behind houses, beside hedges, and along roadsides, or cultivated in patches around forest edges. Their tuberous roots' perennial characteristics can also be used to make stump-style exposed-root potted plants. Daily management of four o'clock flowers is relatively simple. Spray some water on clear evenings, and apply dilute fertilizer 1-2 times each week in the evening, which is beneficial for normal growth. Cultivated in flower nurseries and courtyards, no pests or diseases have been found for many years.
How to grow four o'clock flowers, cultivation and breeding
Four o'clock flowers are robust by nature, highly adaptable, and require only rough care and management. During cultivation, pay attention to:
① Propagation. Four o'clock flowers are commonly propagated by seed. They can be directly sown in the open ground in spring, and after emergence, pay attention to thinning; they can also be started as seedlings first, and when the seedlings grow 3-4 true leaves, transplant and set them out, with a plant spacing of about 50 cm, and after transplanting pay attention to appropriate shading and watering.
② Care and management: Four o'clock flowers are easy to grow, and care and management are relatively rough. Just fertilize and water appropriately during the growing period.
③ Collecting seeds: Because four o'clock flowers are wind-pollinated, varieties easily hybridize with each other. To ensure that the harvested seeds can maintain good characteristics, different varieties should be cultivated in isolation.
Cultivation notes
The root of four o'clock flower is a brown tuberous root, shaped like a mountain stone, and is a very good material for stump bonsai. The tuberous root of four o'clock flowers will swell year by year, reaching about 10 cm in diameter in 3 years, and can be cultivated for decades. As cultivation time increases, the tuberous root appears more vigorous and sturdy. During cultivation, pay attention to:
① Overwintering: Four o'clock flowers can overwinter in the open ground south of the Yangtze River. In the north, measures must be taken: at the end of autumn, dig out the roots of four o'clock flowers and bury them in moist soil in a pot, place them indoors, and cultivate them again the following spring.
② Planting: Plant the lower 1/4 of the four o'clock flower root in a shallow pot, leaving the rest exposed. Under normal care and management, it will take root, grow, and bloom.
Propagation methods of four o'clock flowers
Four o'clock flowers are mainly propagated by seed, sown in spring and fruiting in autumn, and have the ability to self-sow and reproduce. Alternatively, in late autumn dig up the roots and store them indoors at 5°C, then plant them again the following spring, and they can still send up new plants, bloom, and set seed.
Seed propagation
Four o'clock flowers are propagated by seed. They can be propagated by spring sowing and can also self-sow. Small nuts are used as the propagation material for sowing. It is suitable to sow and raise seedlings in March-April. The optimum germination temperature is 15°C to 20°C, and they germinate in seven or eight days. When the seedlings grow 2-4 leaves, set them out, with a plant spacing of 50-80 cm being suitable. After transplanting, pay attention to shading.
Four o'clock flowers require rough management and are easy to grow. Just pay attention to appropriate fertilizing and watering. Four o'clock flowers are wind-pollinated flowers, and different varieties easily hybridize. If you want to maintain variety characteristics, cultivate them in isolation. In the north, at the end of autumn, the above-ground parts can be cut off, the perennial roots dug up, buried in a flower pot with moist soil, and placed in a low-temperature room to overwinter.
In the following spring, continue cultivating in the open ground. Mature plants form quickly and bloom early. Although the growth of perennial-root plants is not as vigorous as that of seed-grown seedlings, their tuberous roots swell year by year, and after 3 consecutive years they can grow into a brown tuberous head about 10 cm in diameter, with wrinkled bark and a hard texture. In spring, the lower 1/3 of the tuberous root can be planted into a shallow pot, with the upper part of the tuberous root exposed, gradually becoming stem-like and adapting to the external environment. And according to its shape, it can form a natural mountain-stone bonsai.
Every spring it sends out 1 to 2 new branches that bloom and set seed. After autumn, cut off the branches, put the tuberous root back into the original pot indoors, keep the pot soil slightly moist, and store it well. It can be continuously cultivated for decades. The older the tuberous root, the more simple and vigorous it appears, with a unique charm. This species is simple to cultivate and manage. Sow in early spring, and it blooms and sets seed in summer and autumn. It tolerates transplanting, grows quickly, and is robust.
Four o'clock flowers can be propagated by spring sowing and can also self-sow. They are usually propagated by seed. Small nuts are used as the propagation material for sowing, and can be directly sown in the open ground in mid-to-late April. The optimum germination temperature is 15-20°C, and they germinate in seven or eight days. Because it is a deep-rooted flower, it is not suitable to sow in open-ground seedbeds and then transplant. If conditions permit, sow in advance into cylindrical pots with an inner diameter of 10 cm, and after the seedlings form, remove them from the pots and set them out.
Four o'clock flowers are propagated by seed. It is suitable to sow and raise seedlings in March-April. When the seedlings grow 2-4 leaves, set them out, with a plant spacing of 50-80 cm being suitable. After transplanting, pay attention to shading. Four o'clock flowers require rough management and are easy to grow. Just pay attention to appropriate fertilizing and watering. Four o'clock flowers are wind-pollinated flowers, and different varieties easily hybridize. If you want to maintain variety characteristics, cultivate them in isolation.
In the north, at the end of autumn, the above-ground parts can be cut off, the perennial roots dug up, buried in a flower pot with moist soil, and placed in a low-temperature room to overwinter. In the following spring, continue cultivating in the open ground. Mature plants form quickly and bloom early. Although the growth of perennial-root plants is not as vigorous as that of seed-grown seedlings, their tuberous roots swell year by year, and after 3 consecutive years they can grow into a brown tuberous head about 10 cm in diameter, with wrinkled bark and a hard texture. In spring, the lower 1/3 of the tuberous root can be planted into a shallow pot, with the upper part of the tuberous root exposed, gradually becoming stem-like and adapting to the external environment. And according to its shape, it can form a natural mountain-stone bonsai. Every spring it sends out 1-2 new branches that bloom and set seed. After autumn, cut off the branches, put the tuberous root back into the original pot indoors, keep the pot soil slightly moist, and store it well. It can be continuously cultivated for decades. The older the tuberous root, the more simple and vigorous it appears, with a unique charm.
Seed propagation: In the region south of the Yangtze River in China, sow at the end of March and the beginning of April. In early February, the seedbed should be deeply dug, finely broken up, and leveled, and made into beds 1 m wide and 6-8 m long. Broadcasting or drilling can be used for sowing, requiring even scattering of seeds, with the ground temperature controlled at around 20°C. For broadcasting, the sowing rate is about 300 grams per square meter of seedbed, covering with a layer of wood ash mixed with soil about 3 cm thick, and watering thoroughly. Usually pay attention to moisture retention. The optimum temperature for seed germination and emergence is about 20°C. They emerge in 6 days. After emergence, apply dilute liquid fertilizer to speed up seedling growth. When there is 1 pair of leaves, transplant the seedlings, forming one plant per seedling. Because the seedling-raising period is short, generally transplant once, and the nutrient area per seedling is 64-81 cm2. During the seedling stage, they tend to grow leggy. Cultivating on the south side of a greenhouse or inside a plastic tunnel helps with control; otherwise, there should be a larger nutrient area and the air temperature should be appropriately lowered. When the seedlings grow to 5-6 cun tall, robust seedlings can be selected and transplanted into flower nurseries, flower beds, or flower pots. 5-7 days before planting out, lower the temperature and increase ventilation to harden the seedlings, and plant out after the last frost. The seedlings at planting time should have about 6 pairs of leaves, of which 3 pairs have already sprouted branches in the leaf axils. To raise the above seedlings, spring seedling raising in a greenhouse requires about 50 days.
Old root utilization techniques
The tuberous roots of old plants can be repeatedly propagated and used for about 10 years. South of the Yangtze River, the tuberous roots can safely overwinter and become perennial flowers. In areas where they cannot overwinter, the roots can be dug out and stored for planting the following year, and after planting the following year they will send up new plants again. Method: After frost, cut the plant off 3-5 cm above the ground, dig out the tuberous root, dry it until the surface is dry, then place it in a dry place not exposed to direct sunlight. Do not water it all winter, and keep the temperature at around 10°C.
Cutting propagation
Use base shoots, terminal buds, axillary buds, etc. as cuttings. Among them, base shoots have the strongest growth potential, are not prone to degeneration, and have strong disease resistance. Use sand, cinder, garden soil, etc. as the substrate. After cutting, control the temperature at around 20°C, and they will take root in 10 days. After rooting, move them into containers to grow into seedlings.
Pest and disease control of four o'clock flowers
Four o'clock flowers have relatively few pests and diseases. In dry weather they are prone to aphids. Usually paying attention to moisture retention can prevent aphids.
Cultivated in flower nurseries and courtyards, no pests or diseases have been found for many years. Daily management is relatively simple. Spray some water on clear evenings, and apply dilute fertilizer 1-2 times each week in the evening, which is beneficial for normal growth.
Cultivated in flower nurseries and courtyards, no pests or diseases have been found for many years.
Medicinal or dietary therapeutic value of four o'clock flowers
The medical information and health dietary therapy information on Hugarden is for reference only and cannot be used as a basis for diagnosis or medical treatment. Any health issues should be consulted with professional medical staff, and the treatment of any disease should follow a doctor's advice.
Ultimate flower-protecting mission: To love yourself, start from reality and follow a doctor's advice. For illness, do not be careless, do not delay, do not give up hope, face it bravely, warm the silent world with love, and care for the flower field in your heart with your heart.
Medicinal value
Diuretic, purgative heat, promotes blood circulation and dissipates blood stasis. Treats strangury and turbidity, vaginal discharge, pulmonary tuberculosis with coughing of blood, carbuncles and deep-rooted sores on the back, and acute arthritis. Dispels wind and promotes blood circulation. Treats breast abscess and white turbidity. Promotes urination and reduces edema. Treats red flooding in women, leukorrhea, furuncles, injuries, and bone setting. Relieves fever, gently purges, breaks blood stasis, and regulates menstruation. Treats pulmonary tuberculosis with coughing of blood. Treats consumptive strain with emaciation, dizziness and blurred vision, five types of strangury, and uterine flooding and discharge in women.
Application value
Four o'clock flowers bloom small purple flowers in summer and autumn. The leaves are ovate or heart-shaped, opposite. The flowers are fragrant, several clustered on the involucre, opening from evening to early morning, giving off a strong fragrance at dusk, and closing under strong sunlight. The calyx is petal-like, trumpet-shaped. The fruit is ovate, black, with a wrinkled surface and ridges, so the fruit has the elegant nickname "little landmine." They can be planted in clusters in front of houses, behind houses, beside hedges and fences, and near open woods, giving off a strong fragrance at dusk. In garden green spaces, plant them in clusters or patches, or as accents in the courtyards of residential communities. Besides ornamental use, the roots, leaves, and flowers of four o'clock flowers can be used medicinally to treat diarrhea. The leaves and endosperm can be made into cosmetic powder (because the dried seed embryo can be ground fine to make cosmetic powder, it is also called guanfen flower).
The roots and leaves can be used medicinally, with effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, promoting blood circulation and regulating menstruation, and nourishing. The white powder of the seeds can remove facial spots, moles, and acne.
Chemical composition
The roots contain amino acids, organic acids, and a large amount of starch. The flowers contain various yellow pigments such as betaxanthins.
Pharmacological effects
The root is also called "ground rat" and is irritating to the skin and mucous membranes. The flowers emit a rich fragrance at night, which can anesthetize and repel mosquitoes. The water extract of the related plant Mirabilis multiflora has antitumor effects in preliminary animal screening tests.
Functions and indications
Diuretic, purgative heat, promotes blood circulation and dissipates blood stasis. Treats strangury and turbidity, vaginal discharge, pulmonary tuberculosis with coughing of blood, carbuncles and deep-rooted sores on the back, and acute arthritis. Dispels wind and promotes blood circulation. Treats breast abscess and white turbidity. Promotes urination and reduces edema. Treats red flooding in women, leukorrhea, furuncles, injuries, and bone setting. Relieves fever, gently purges, breaks blood stasis, and regulates menstruation. Treats pulmonary tuberculosis with coughing of blood. Treats consumptive strain with emaciation, dizziness and blurred vision, five types of strangury, and uterine flooding and discharge in women.
Usage and dosage
Internal use: decocted in water, 15-25 g (25-50 g if fresh).
External use: pounded and applied.
Selected formulas
① Strangury with turbid urine, leukorrhea: White-flowered four-o'clock root 1 to 2 liang (peeled, washed, sliced), Poria 3 to 5 qian. Decoct in water and take before meals, twice daily. "Fujian Folk Herbal Medicine"
② For leukorrhea: White rouged-flower root 1 liang, white hibiscus 5 qian, white peony root 5 qian. Stew with meat and eat. "Guiyang Folk Herbal Medicine"
③ For red flooding (metrorrhagia): Red rouged-flower root 2 liang, red cockscomb root 1 liang, touyun yao (dizziness herb) 1 liang, tu'er feng 5 qian. Stew with pig's trotters and eat. "Guiyang Folk Herbal Medicine"
④ For acute arthritis: Fresh four-o'clock root 3 liang. Decoct in water and take; add tofu if the body is hot, add pig's trotters if the body is cold. "Chinese Herbal Medicine Manual"
⑤ For carbuncles and back sores: One fresh four-o'clock plant root. Peel, wash, add a little brown sugar, pound into a paste, apply to the affected area, change twice daily. "Fujian Folk Herbal Medicine"
Special attention
In the commercial trade of gastrodia (Tianma), the roots of four-o'clock or dahlia are often carefully processed and passed off as gastrodia for sale, which not only causes economic losses but also seriously threatens personal safety. The key distinguishing points are as follows:
Gastrodia is the dried tuber of the orchid plant Gastrodia elata. It is long-elliptical or flat-round, with a reddish-brown dried bud at one end (commonly called "parrot's beak") and a round navel-shaped scar at the other end; the surface sometimes shows dotted ring-shaped transverse striations; the cross-section is horny and bright, with cavities in spring gastrodia and none in winter gastrodia; the odor is faint, the taste is sweet, with little unusual smell; when chewed it is slightly sweet and slightly bitter, with a mild pasty sensation.
Four-o'clock root (rouged-flower root) is the root of the plant Mirabilis jalapa of the Nyctaginaceae. It is long-conical (mostly already flattened), with longitudinal grooves and sunken star-shaped dots or small hole-like fibrous root scars; the cross-section is uneven, showing slight ring layers. The taste is bland with a prickling sensation in the throat.
Medical classics
Root (four-o'clock root): Sweet, bitter, neutral. Promotes urination and clears heat, invigorates blood and disperses stasis. Used for strangury with turbid urine, leukorrhea disorders, pulmonary tuberculosis with cough, and joint pain.
Leaf: Sweet, neutral. Used for carbuncles and boils, scabies and tinea, and wounds.
Endosperm: Can remove facial spots, moles and acne.
[Miao medicine] Shuifen, Houbenglian: The whole plant treats irregular menstruation, diabetes, traumatic injuries, prostatitis, adnexitis, cervicitis, mastitis, carbuncles and sores, and amenorrhea; the fruit is ground into powder, mixed with water and applied externally to treat skin ulcers. "Hunan Lan Kao."
[Yi medicine] Baihei: The root treats cancers of the digestive system. "Yunnan Provincial Gazetteer." The whole plant treats oral and tongue sores, damp-heat pouring downward, joint swelling and pain, breast carbuncles and furuncles, white turbidity and damp strangury, irregular menstruation, traumatic injuries, and blood-stasis swelling and pain. "Ailao."
[Dai medicine] Nuowainiang (Xi Dai): The whole plant and root treat colitis, abdominal distension, diarrhea, and mucous stools; the stem and leaf treat sores, ulcers, swellings and boils; Mawanghan (De Dai): The root treats irregular menstruation, leukorrhea, and pediatric hepatitis. "Yunnan Materia Medica Record." Nuowainiang: The root, stem and leaf treat colitis, abdominal distension, diarrhea, mucous stools, and sores, ulcers and swellings. "Banna Dai Medicine." Nuowainiang: The flower is used for colitis, abdominal distension, diarrhea, mucous stools, and sores, ulcers and swellings. "Dai Medicine Record." Mowanhan (De Dai): The root and leaf treat urinary tract infections, diabetes, edema, prostatitis, scabies and tinea, traumatic injuries, sores, ulcers and swelling pain, and ecthyma; the inner endosperm of the seed treats facial spots and moles, acne, and skin blisters with yellow fluid that rupture and discharge yellow fluid; Mowanha, Nuowainiang (Xi Dai): The root treats abdominal distension, diarrhea, mucous stools, colitis, and sores, ulcers and boils. "Yunnan Provincial Gazetteer." Nuowainiang (Xi Dai): The whole plant and root treat colitis, abdominal distension, diarrhea, and mucous stools; the stem and leaf treat sores, ulcers and boils, pounded fresh and applied as a poultice or decocted in water for external washing; Mawanghan (De Dai): The root treats irregular menstruation and leukorrhea (from the white-flowered plant), and pediatric hepatitis (from the yellow-flowered plant). "Yunnan Materia Medica Record."
[Bai medicine] Baifanghuju: The inner endosperm of the seed treats facial spots and moles, acne, and skin blisters with yellow fluid that rupture and discharge yellow fluid. "Yunnan Provincial Gazetteer"; the root and leaf treat urinary tract infections, diabetes, edema, prostatitis, scabies and tinea, traumatic injuries, sores, ulcers and swelling pain, and ecthyma. Baifanhuku: The root and whole plant clear heat and drain dampness, invigorate blood and regulate menstruation, and resolve toxins and reduce swelling; the root treats irregular menstruation, leukorrhea, tonsillitis, urinary tract infections, prostatitis, and diabetes. "Yunnan Materia Medica Record." Baifanhuku: The root and whole plant treat irregular menstruation, leukorrhea, tonsillitis, urinary tract infections, prostatitis, diabetes, carbuncles, ulcers and swelling pain, fractures, traumatic injuries, furuncles, and eczema. "Yunnan Materia Medica Record."
[De'ang medicine] Bogao: Functions the same as the Bai medicine. "Yunnan Provincial Gazetteer."
[Benglong medicine] Functions the same as the Bai medicine. "Yunnan Provincial Gazetteer." Bogao: The whole plant and root treat colitis, abdominal distension, diarrhea, and mucous stools; the stem and leaf treat sores, ulcers and boils, pounded fresh and applied as a poultice or decocted in water for external washing. "Yunnan Materia Medica Record."
[Lisu medicine] Aimomomoqi: The whole plant and root treat tonsillitis, irregular menstruation, prostatitis, and urinary tract infections; the whole plant is used externally for mastitis and traumatic injuries. "Nujiang Medicine."
[Shui medicine] Malaomu: The root treats diabetes. "Shui Medicine."
[She medicine] The root and flower treat tonsillitis, irregular menstruation, leukorrhea, prostatitis, urinary tract infections, rheumatic joint aching pain, carbuncles, ulcers and swellings, furuncles, hemoptysis, and impetigo. "She Medicine."
[Maonan medicine] Gongwabaifen: The tuberous root treats traumatic sprains and fractures. "Guangxi Medicine Compilation."
[Zhuang medicine] Chouyahua: The tuberous root treats irregular menstruation. "Guangxi Medicine Compilation."
[Yao medicine] The tuberous root treats headache. "Guangxi Medicine Compilation."
[Mulao medicine] The tuberous root treats diabetes, urinary tract infections, and excessive leukorrhea. "Guangxi Medicine Compilation."
[Hani medicine] Wujiwuxiao'ayan: The root treats tonsillitis, irregular menstruation, and urinary tract infections. "Hani Medicine."
[Dong medicine] Nugs cuix fenx, Mal Bial sagx: The root and whole plant mainly treat irregular menstruation and excessive leukorrhea. "Dong Medicine."
[Uyghur medicine] Baihemanasibite: The root is used for body weakness, soreness and weakness of the limbs, poor appetite, neurasthenia, palpitations and shortness of breath, consumptive cough, chronic diarrhea, urinary calculi, diabetes, uterine bleeding, clearing damp mucous, and arthritis; combined with other medicines it treats alopecia. "Uyghur Materia Medica Record."
[Wa medicine] Four-o'clock, Fenguogen: The root treats irregular menstruation, low back pain, fractures, and traumatic injuries. "Chinese Wa Medicine."
[Achang medicine] Four-o'clock: The root treats tonsillitis, irregular menstruation, and prostatitis. "Dehong Medicine Record."
[Tujia medicine] Tugongshen: The root treats consumptive disease, leukorrhea, and infantile fetal toxin. "Tujia Medicine."
[Jino medicine] Weiwei'abo: The root stewed with meat treats edema; the tender stem and leaf applied externally treat mumps, mastitis, carbuncles, furuncles, scabies and tinea. "Jino Medicine."
[Gelao medicine] Laosuobao'ao: The white rouged-flower root treats leukorrhea.
Traditional Chinese medicinal use
Four-o'clock: Inheritance of flower color in Mirabilis jalapa
Pharmacological effects: The root contains resin, which is irritating to the skin and mucous membranes. The flower releases a rich fragrance at night, which can anesthetize and repel mosquitoes. The water extract of the related plant Mirabilis multiflora showed antitumor activity in preliminary animal screening tests.
Medicinal material characteristics: Irregularly conical, slightly curved, branched or unbranched, 6-12 cm long, 1.5-4 cm in diameter; the surface is pale yellowish-white or grayish-yellow, with longitudinal groove lines and fibrous root scars sunken into shallow pits; the apex has a residual stem base. The texture is firm and not easily broken; the cross-section is uneven, yellowish-white or pale yellowish-brown, powdery, with scattered needle-hole-like dots visible; the steamed product appears horny. Odorless, bland taste, with a prickling sensation in the throat when chewed. Those that are large, with the outer skin completely removed, a pale yellowish-white surface, and a firm texture are considered best.
Nature and flavor: Sweet, bitter
Functions: Enters the kidney and bladder meridians. Clears heat and drains dampness, invigorates blood and disperses stasis. Used for damp-heat strangury with turbid urine, leukorrhea, irregular menstruation, edema, pulmonary tuberculosis with coughing of blood, carbuncles and back sores, traumatic injuries, and blood-stasis swelling and pain.
Common dosage 9-15 g. Appropriate amount for external use. Contraindicated in pregnant women. Avoid contact with iron when combining.
Effects of four-o'clock root: Promotes urination, clears heat, invigorates blood and disperses stasis. Treats strangury with turbid urine, leukorrhea, pulmonary tuberculosis with vomiting of blood, carbuncles and back sores, and acute arthritis.
① "Gangmu Shiyi": Dispels wind, invigorates blood. Treats breast carbuncles and white turbidity.
② "Kunming Medicinal Plant Survey Report": Promotes urination, reduces edema.
③ "Guizhou Folk Formulas and Medicine Collection": Treats women's red flooding and leukorrhea, furuncles, injuries, and bone setting.
④ "Nanning City Drug Record": Reduces fever, mild laxative, breaks blood stasis, regulates menstruation. Treats pulmonary tuberculosis with coughing of blood.
⑤ "Sichuan Chinese Materia Medica Record": Treats fatigue injury with emaciation, dizziness and blurred vision, the five stranguries, and women's flooding and leukorrhea.
Effects and uses of four-o'clock: Ornamental value
Mirabilis jalapa is a flowering plant with extensive management and relatively high ornamental value, and is one of the good landscaping plants. Among them there is a rose-red variety with very high ornamental value. The flower colors are rich, the resistance is strong, and it can self-sow and propagate. The flowers open at night and close by day, and are fragrant when blooming; it is suitable for arrangement in places for enjoying the cool in the evening or at night, adding much interest. It is often cultivated as an ornamental flower in both northern and southern parts of China, and is an ornamental flower.
Potted plant use
It can be planted in clumps in front of and behind houses, beside hedges, and along roadsides, or cultivated in patches around forest edges; its perennial tuberous root characteristic can also be used to make stump-style exposed-root potted plants.
Mosquito-repelling effect
Mirabilis jalapa prefers a well-ventilated environment; it is robust, grows quickly, is not particular about soil, and requires extensive management. It is suitable for courtyard cultivation and releases a rich fragrance at dusk. It has a taproot with few fibrous roots and does not tolerate transplanting; in summer it has a mosquito-repelling effect.
Medicinal value
The root and leaf can be used medicinally, with effects of clearing heat and resolving toxins, invigorating blood and regulating menstruation, and tonifying; the white powder of the seed can remove facial spots, moles and acne.
Landscape uses of four-o'clock
Mirabilis jalapa blooms small purple flowers in summer and autumn; the leaves are ovate or heart-shaped and opposite. The flowers are fragrant, several clustered on the involucre, opening from evening to early morning, releasing a rich fragrance at dusk, and closing under the blazing sun. The calyx is petal-like and trumpet-shaped. The fruit is ovate, black, with a wrinkled surface and ridges, so the fruit has the elegant nickname "little landmine."
Mirabilis jalapa can be planted in clumps in front of and behind houses, along hedges and walls, and beside sparse woods, releasing a rich fragrance at dusk. In garden green spaces it can be planted in clumps or patches, or dotted in the courtyards of residential communities.
Cultural background of four-o'clock: Origin of the name
1. Four-o'clock (Zimoli). Named because its flowers are purple-red and its fragrance is like jasmine.
2. Yelaixiang (night-blooming). Mirabilis jalapa blooms in the evening with a pleasant fragrance, and in some northern places it is also called "yelaixiang."
3. Rouged flower (Yanzhihua). Legend has it that when Chang'e flew to the moon, she accidentally knocked over her rouge box, and the rouge scattered into the human world and bloomed into the gorgeous four-o'clock flowers. Moreover, women in the past liked to pick the flowers of Mirabilis jalapa, press and extract the juice, and apply it to their lips as rouge, so the four-o'clock flower is also called rouged flower.
4. Cooking flower, bathing flower. When Mirabilis jalapa blooms, it happens to be the dusk hour when rural women light the fire to cook and help children bathe, so it is called cooking flower or bathing flower. Legend says the cooking flower was transformed from a playful child who played until dark, lost his way, and became this flower; it wants to tell children lingering outdoors that when they see the cooking flower bloom, it means the sky is about to darken, mother has already started cooking, and they must hurry home to bathe and eat.
5. Landmine flower. The fruit of Mirabilis jalapa is ovate, black, with wrinkled markings on the surface and a shape like a small landmine, so it is also called "landmine flower."
6. White powder flower. The seeds of Mirabilis jalapa are rich in white endosperm, which becomes powdery white after drying and can be used on the face, hence the name white powder flower.
Episode in Dream of the Red Chamber
Baoyu hurried to the dressing table, opened a Xuande kiln porcelain box, inside which lay a row of ten jade hairpin flower sticks; he picked one and handed it to Ping'er. He also said with a smile: "This is not lead powder; it is made from ground four-o'clock flower seeds mixed with ingredients." When Ping'er poured it onto her palm and looked, she indeed saw it was light, white, red and fragrant, beautiful in all four qualities; when applied to the face it spread evenly and easily, and could moisten the skin, unlike other powders that felt rough and sluggish. ----- Chapter 44, "An Unexpected Mischance Makes Xifeng Spill Vinegar; Overjoyed Beyond Expectation Ping'er Makes Up Her Face"
Guo Moruo - Four-O'clock
The four-o'clock is also called rouged flower
Blooming all over, they all look like small trumpets.
Children pick off the flower tubes and pull out all the stamens,
Holding them between their lips to play, the sound crisp yet muffled.
The flower juice can dot the lips, the black seeds contain white powder,
Country girls especially welcome this.
Cosmetics born as naturally as us,
If you adopt us, it fits the principle of more, faster, better and more economical.
Preface to "Dinner Flower Collection"
People in Beijing call the dinner flower wild jasmine, which really flatters it. It can be said to have nothing to do with jasmine, and it certainly does not belong to the same family; the branches, leaves and flower shapes are all dissimilar. It may have been linked with jasmine because it has a faint delicate fragrance, -- yet it does not resemble the smell of jasmine either. Only the word "wild" does it deserve without shame. It hardly needs to be planted. Casually throw a few seeds into the soil, and it will prominently grow into a large clump. After setting seed and falling into the soil, the next year it will grow into even larger clumps, and as long as there is a bit of open ground, it will fill it all up without any politeness. It is not afraid of drought, not afraid of waterlogging, needs no watering, no fertilizing, does not get diseased, and I have never seen it suffer from insects. What kind of flower is this? Yet if it is not a flower, then what is it? You cannot say it is a crop, a vegetable, or a medicinal material. Although Wu Qijun said that inside the black skin of its seeds there is a packet of white powder that is edible; the leaves can be used as a vegetable, like Indian kalimeris; and folk doctors use its root to treat vomiting of blood, I have not seen anyone eat it or take it. So let us still count it as a flower.
"Dinner Flower"
The dinner flower is wild jasmine. Because it blooms at dusk and is most lively around dinner time, it is also called dinner flower.
Wild jasmine grows everywhere and propagates very easily. It is two to three chi tall, with dense branches and leaves; a large one can shade five or six chi. The flowers are like jasmine but larger, and their color is varied and changes easily. The seeds are like beans, deep black with fine lines, containing a white pulp that can be made into powder, so it is also called powder-bean flower. Dried in the sun it can be used as a vegetable, similar to Indian kalimeris. A large root is like a fist, black and hard; folk doctors use it to treat vomiting of blood.
Wu Qijun: "Illustrated Investigation of the Names and Natures of Plants"
At the foot of the front gable wall grew a dense row of dinner flowers. Wang Yuying sat in this narrow courtyard, sitting in front of the dinner flowers doing needlework.
Every day after school, Li Xiaolong passed by the gate of Wang Yuying's house. He always saw Wang Yuying (he had looked at the Chen family's pomegranates, and also at "double-scented sesame oil, supplied to the village for customers," and he would also look at the Xia family's flowers and trees). The dinner flowers bloomed very vigorously; they strained outward with all their might, as if crazed, shouting, blooming themselves into the evening air. Dense green, an impossible amount of green leaves; vivid red, rouge-like, an impossible amount of red flowers; very lively, yet also very desolate. Without a sound, in front of the dense, dense green leaves and the chaotic, jumbled red flowers, sat a Wang Yuying.
This was Li Xiaolong's dusk. If there were no Wang Yuying, dusk would not be dusk.
Lin Qingxuan prose - Four-O'clock
Toward those plants that change their posture according to the seasons, or open and close at fixed times as time shifts, or respond immediately when touched by external force, I always hold a feeling of curiosity and joy.
The sunflowers planted in the garden or the portulaca along country paths -- what force makes them turn with the sun? Is it merely a sensitivity to light? Like the water lilies spread flat on the pond, by day they assume the most graceful posture, yet why at night do they sleep into a shy ball-like shape? And the epiphyllum is just the opposite of the water lily; it always waits until the deep, quiet night to open its smiling face and release its fragrance. Yelaixiang, osmanthus, and qilixiang -- the darker the night, the more one can savor their delicate fragrance. There are also mimosa and insect-catching plants; as soon as they are shaken, they nod silently like a shy girl. And there is cordyceps, which in winter is clearly an insect, yet in summer becomes a plant.
In biology books we can all find an experimentally derived reason to explain these plant variations, but to me these reasons are all insufficient. I believe that in the unseen, there must be some spiritual dimension that we cannot find, and in that spiritual dimension perhaps these plants all have an invisible heart. Among the plants that can change posture and appearance, the one most closely related to me is the four-o'clock flower.
Behind my childhood home was a large expanse of land never cultivated by human hands, often blooming with beautiful flowers: the yellow or red small flowers of clover, the yellow or white round flowers of lead tree, morning glories of various colors, and once autumn arrived, reed flowers swaying in the wind filled the area... Among these flowers of every shape and color, small purple four-o'clock flowers grew scattered everywhere.
The four-o'clock is the most ordinary wildflower in the countryside; it grows in whole patches and clumps, unremarkable in appearance, yet among all the greenery it has a distinctive charm. In the countryside, the name of the four-o'clock is "cooking flower," because on dewy mornings, or at high noon when the sun is at its zenith, or on dark nights full of stars, it remains tightly closed; it opens only for a short period, at dusk when the setting sun is about to descend, when farming families finish a day's labor and cooking smoke curls upward, only then does it seem suddenly to release all its worries and bloom joyfully.
Every rural woman goes into the kitchen to cook at this time, so it is called "cooking flower."
This annual, biennial or perennial herb has extremely strong vitality and especially strong reproductive capacity. If you plant one four-o'clock in the wild, after a year the ground will be full of four-o'clock flowers; its flowering period is also very long, blooming from spring all the way to autumn, so how many flowers one four-o'clock can bloom in a year is something no one can count.
The greatest pity is that it blooms only at dusk each day, but this is also what makes it most beloved. A botanist once called it "the timer of agricultural society"; when it opens, country children all know that the setting sun is about to go down and the sky will soon be filled with red clouds.
In my childhood, I often played with my brothers on the wasteland behind the house. When we saw the four-o'clock bloom, we knew it was time to go home for dinner. When our mother let us play outside, she often reminded us: "When you see the cooking flower in full bloom, you must come home." We obeyed our mother's words, and often every day only after seeing the four-o'clock bloom did we step along the path under the setting sun back home. By coincidence, when we got home, it was already dark.
From childhood I was a bit silly and could not understand why the four-o'clock must choose to bloom at dusk. Someone sat many times watching the four-o'clock buds about to open all over the ground, watching how it slowly propped open its petals and came out to see the sunset scenery. I asked my mother, and she said: "The cooking flower was transformed from a playful child who played until dark, lost his way, and became this flower. It wants to tell you wild children not to play until dark before going home."
My mother's words were beautiful, but I did not believe them. I always thought the four-o'clock must, like people, love beautiful scenery; and in this world what is better than the scenery at dusk? Therefore it chose dusk.
The four-o'clock was a very important flower in my childhood, so I planted one in a flowerpot. It grew very well, but unfortunately in the city, perhaps because it cannot see the beautiful dusk scenery of the fields, it blooms almost all day long. The four-o'clock in my pot may have gone through the ruthless baptism of city noise and already forgotten its ancestors' best choice of the dusk rosy clouds.
Every day when I see the four-o'clock I planted, I think sadly that not only do city people easily lose their own hearts, but even the hearts of plants are lost without notice.
Alternative names of four-o'clock
Caomoli, shaotanghua, moniuhua, rouged flower, yewanhua, landmine flower, guanfenhua, chaolaihua, yejiaojiao, bathing flower, fendouhua, wanchahua.
Four-o'clock ("Caohua Pu"), rouged flower ("Caohua Pu"), fendouhua ("Illustrated Investigation of the Names and Natures of Plants"), yefanhua (Shanghai), zhuangyuanhua (Shaanxi), dingxiangye, kudingxiang, yedingxiang ("Southern Yunnan Materia Medica"), dinner flower (Beijing), wild jasmine (Beijing), yelaixiang (Hebei) ["Dinner Flower Collection"].
Flower language of four-o'clock: Four-o'clock flower language
1. Chastity, simplicity, delicacy, conjecture, suspicion, mature beauty, timidity, cowardice.
2. Pure, chaste, simple, delicate
3. Charming.
4. Expresses loyalty and respect.
Jasmine flowers represent closeness and love of sensory feeling. The four-o'clock is named for its purple-red flowers, but its flower colors are rich; common ones include red, yellow, white, and variegated. When it blooms in summer, a single plant is densely covered with many four-o'clock flowers of different colors, very lovely and beautiful.
Four-o'clock pictures
How to grow four-o'clock (yelaixiang) and the simplest propagation method
This very common flower, like a morning glory, can often be seen in fields outside the city and beside walls. It also has another name, landmine flower, or yelaixiang. In fact, it does not only have purple flowers; some can also produce yellow, red, and other colored flowers. According to my personal observation, the blooming time is generally just after the sun goes down, or in the morning before the sunlight comes out, and also on cloudy and rainy days. This is probably why it is also called yelaixiang. The flowering period is very long, and it opens very frequently, blooming almost throughout summer and into early autumn. In fact, for those who like to enjoy flowers, growing it at home, in the yard, on the balcony, or in flowerpots is all quite good. If you want to grow this, it is very simple. If you do not believe it, take a look.
Key points of this article
Branches, seeds, flowerpot, trowel, soil, fertilizer, watering can, etc.
From a plant growing in the wild or at a friend's home, casually snap off one or several branches and bring them back. You can soak them in rooting powder, or let the wound dry slightly, but do not worry; even if you do neither of these steps, they can still be propagated by cuttings successfully.
Prepare a flowerpot; ordinary garden soil is fine. Add a small amount of coarse sand. Keep the potting soil moist. Watering after the cutting is done is also fine.
The soil must be a bit loose, or use a trowel to make a small hole. Insert the cutting directly into the soil. After watering, as long as the soil in the pot is not dry to the point of turning white, there is no need to water again; watering too much will rot it before it grows roots. Wait until it is established, then water again.
Place it in a cool, well-ventilated spot. Cuttings taken in summer have a very high survival rate, usually developing roots in just over ten days. After roots form, you will notice small leaves emerging. At this point you can apply some fertilizer, and before long small flower buds will appear.
Besides propagation by cuttings, another method is sowing seeds. The small black dots on this are the seeds. Because the seeds are quite large, you can soak them in water for a few hours before sowing. This is also fairly easy. They germinate very readily too. Generally, choose spring or autumn for sowing.
For everyday care of the four o'clock flower (Mirabilis jalapa), give it plenty of sun, otherwise it tends to grow leggy and fail to bloom. Placing it on an open balcony lets it absorb more rainwater, and with a relaxed, free-range approach it will grow more vigorously.
Look, its little trumpet-shaped flowers have already opened, not bad, right? It feels a bit like a petunia. Easy to grow, easy to propagate, and you can enjoy its flowers often, bringing a whole day of good mood. Give it a try when you have time.
Notes
This experience is original from Blue Xiaoya's experience. If you want to follow more content on growing flowers and vegetables, please click the username. If you like it, please vote. Thank you. All images were taken by Blue Xiaoya. Please do not repost without permission.