Four o’clock Plant

Botanical Name:

Mirabilis jalapa

Scientific Classification:

Order: Caryophyllales

Family: Nyctaginaceae

Genus: Mirabilis

Common Name:

Four o’clock Plant, Marvel of Peru

Local Name (Hindi Name) :

Gul abbas

Plant Description:

The Four o’clock plant is known by many names. The botanical name of the Four o’clock plant is Mirabilis jalapa. In ancient times, Mirabilis jalapa was referred to as Krishnakali. In South India, the Mirabilis jalapa plant is known as andhi mandarai (Tamil Nadu), naalumani poovu (Kerela),  sanje mallige (Karnataka), chandrakantha (Andhra Pradesh), In North India, the Mirabilis jalapa plant is known by it’s hindi name, Gul abbas. However, if someone refers to the Mirabilis jalapa plant as not Four o’clock plant, but Marvel of Peru plant, don’t be confused. In the sixteenth century, the Mirabilis jalapa plant was exported from Peru to the different parts of the world.

The Mirabilis jalapa plant is an ornamental plant. This plant was once considered the gardener’s favorite. However in modern times, the popularity of the plant has been taken over by Periwinkle. The reason being is that the flower of a Periwinkle plant last much longer than the flower of a Mirabilis jalapa plant.  Hence, you will have to do some searching in the gardens of India, to spot Mirabilis jalapa.

The reason behind the name ‘Four o’clock’, is that according to legend, the Four o’clock plant can be best viewed at Four o’clock in the afternoon. The flowers of a Four o’clock plant can be pink, yellow, white, and (rarely) blue. Many a times, it is the blue flower that gets most noticed, and hence a Four o’clock ‘blue’ color flower plant  is costlier as compared to the rest.