Tuesday, September 28, 2021

NYCTAGINACEAE | FAMILY| Four O'Clock

Nyctaginaceae, the four o'clock family, is a family of around 33 genera and 290 species of flowering plants, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, with a few representatives in temperate regions. The family has a unique fruit type, called an "anthocarp". The four o'clock family includes mirabilis and  Bougainvillea.

Mirabilis.                                             

Mirabilis is a genus of plants in the family Nyctaginaceae known as the four-o'clocks or umbrellaworts. The best known species may be Mirabilis jalapa, the plant most commonly called four o'clock.

  Four O'clockEasy to start from seed is the characteristic that jumps first to mind when considering this perennial. Four o'clock plants are a tall forb with a surprising feature, the flower color can be yellow, white, red or magenta or a combination of these colors. Mirabilis means wonderful. Native of Peru 











Etymology

The name of Mirabilis jalapa given by Carl Von Linne in 1753 is formed from the scientific Latin Mirabilis meaning "admirable" by allusion to the remarkable colors of its flowers and the specific name jalapa that would refer to its origin in the Jalapa in Guatemala. But the epithet of jalapa could also refer to the city of Xalapa (Jalapa) in Mexico from which came a former purgative drug, named jalap, taken from the tubers of the tuberous jalap.


Bougainvillea                                            

Bougainvillea is a genus of thorny ornamental vines, bushes, and trees belonging to the four o' clock family, Nyctaginaceae. It is native to eastern South America, found from Brazil, west to Peru, and south to southern Argentina. The inflorescence consists of large colourful sepal-like bracts which surround three simple waxy flowers.