Mirabilis nyctaginea
| Mirabilis nyctaginea | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Mirabilis nyctaginea (common name: wild four o'clock plant)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in early summer, after the last expected frosts. The seed remains viable for several years[1].
Division in spring as the plant comes into growth[2].
Cultivation: Requires a fertile well-drained soil in full sun or part-day shade[2].
Plants flower in their first year from seed and, although they are not very hardy in Britain, they can either be grown as half-hardy annuals or the tubers can be harvested in the autumn and stored overwinter in a cool frost-free place in much the same manner as dahlias[2].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[3].
Range: N. America - Wisconsin to Mexico.
Habitat: Prairies and rich soil[4]. Often found in calcareous clay soils[5].
Medicinal: The chewed root is used as a poultice for wounds, burns, sores, sprains etc[6][4][7]. A tea made from the roots is also used to treat burns, fevers and to expel worms[8][4][7].
A tea made from the leaves or the roots is used in the treatment of bladder ailments[4]. Caution is advised in the use of this plant internally, see notes above on toxicity.
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: One report says that the plant is considered poisonous, but gives no details[4].
Also Known As: Oxybaphus nictagineus.
Links
References
- ↑ Popenoe, Hugh. Lost Crops of the Incas. National Academy Press, 1990.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Diggs, George and Barney Lipscomb. Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas. Botanical Research Institute, 1999.
- ↑ Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.