Definition

Noun: * A common garden plant (Mirabilis jalapa) native to tropical America, widely cultivated for its fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers that open in the late afternoon and typically close by morning. It is also known as the four-o'clock flower, marvel of Peru, or beauty of the night.

Usage

• The term "Mirabilis jalapa" is used as the specific botanical name for this plant species. In everyday gardening contexts, its common names (like "four-o'clock") are more frequently used.
• It functions as a singular noun. The plural form is "Mirabilis jalapa plants" or simply "four-o'clocks."

Examples

• Noun:
  • The sweet scent of Mirabilis jalapa fills the garden every evening.
  • She planted a row of Mirabilis jalapa along the fence, and now they bloom in a mix of colors.
  • A unique characteristic of Mirabilis jalapa is that a single plant can produce flowers of different colors.

Advanced Usage

• The name "Mirabilis jalapa" is often used in horticultural, botanical, or scientific writing to ensure precise identification.
• The plant's habit of opening its flowers in the late afternoon is a classic example of nyctinasty (the circadian rhythmic nastic movement of plants in response to the onset of darkness).

Variants and Related Words

• Four-o'clock (n): The most common common name for .
• Marvel of Peru (n): Another common name for the same plant.
• Beauty of the night (n): A poetic common name referencing its evening bloom.
• Nyctaginaceae (n): The plant family to which belongs.

Synonyms

• Four-o'clock plant
• Marvel of Peru
• Beauty of the night

Related Phrases/Idioms

• (To bloom) like a four-o'clock: An informal phrase suggesting something that reliably appears or becomes active in the late afternoon or evening.
  • Our neighbor always comes out to water her garden, regular as clockwork, blooming like a four-o'clock.

Noun

1. common garden plant of North America having fragrant red or purple or yellow or white flowers that open in late afternoon