Wild Four-o'clock

Mirabilis nyctaginea

Found in upland prairies, streambanks, riverbanks, also in disturbed situations (as eastwards) such as railroad embankments, other disturbed areas. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height: 2–4 feet
Light: Full sun
Soil moisture: Dry to average

Mirabilis nyctaginea — fruit photograph — Jim Pisarowicz · Public domain · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Bloom: May to October

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Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 29 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Barrens grassland after a prescribed fire. Shown: Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, a neighboring state.Barrens native plants returning after prescribed fire, September 2020, NPS Photo / Rick Olson, September 2020. Public domain. Source record.

Named place / source context. Shown: Watauga Falls, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Watauga Falls, Illustrator/engraver not confidently attributed; reproduced in Zeigler and Grosscup, The Heart of the Alleghanies (1883), 1883. Public domain. Source record.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

5CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Mirabilis

Disclisioprocta stellataSomber Carpet, Bougainvillea Looper
Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Spoladea recurvalisHawaiian Beet Webworm

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Mirabilis

Zenaida asiaticaWhite-winged Dove

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Nyctaginaceae
Flower color: Purple

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “May to October” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Purple” · Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide · Nursery cultural guide; height in flower; moisture categories retained as printed
Height · “2–4 feet” · Minnesota Wildflowers (ranked first; Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differs)
Life cycle · “Perennial” · Minnesota Wildflowers
Light · “Full sun (6+ hours)” · Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide · Nursery cultural guide; height in flower; moisture categories retained as printed
primary_flower_color · “purple” · Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide
Soil · “Mesic; Dry-mesic; Dry” · Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide · Nursery cultural guide; height in flower; moisture categories retained as printed

Also known as

Heart Leaf Four Oclock; Wild Four o'clock

Conservation status

Virginia rank	SNR
Global rank	G5
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

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