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''Mirabilis jalapa'' (the four o'clock flower or marvel of Peru) is the most commonly grown ornamental species of ''Mirabilis'', and is available in a range of colours. ''Mirabilis'' in Latin means wonderful and Jalapa is a common placename in Central and North America. ''Mirabilis Jalapa'' was cultivated by the Aztecs for medicinal and ornamental purposes. It is also said to have been exported from the Peruvian Andes in 1540. == Flowers and colour == A curious aspect of this plant is that flowers with different colours can be found simultaneously on the same plant. Additionally, an individual flower can be splashed with different colours. Flower patterns are referred to as sectors (whole sections of flower), flakes (stripes of varying length), and spots. A single flower can be plain yellow, pink or white, or have a combination of sectors, flakes and spots. Furthermore, different combinations of flowers and patterns can occur on different flowers of the same plant. Another interesting point is a colour-changing phenomenon. For example, in the yellow variety, as the plant matures, it can display flowers that gradually change to a dark pink colour. Similarly white flowers can change to light violet. The flowers usually open from late afternoon onwards, hence the first of its common names. Flowers then produce a strong, sweet-smelling fragrance throughout the night, then close for good in the morning. New flowers open the following day. Despite their appearance, the flowers are not formed from petals – rather they are a pigmented modification of the calyx. Similarly, the 'calyx' is an involucre of bracts.〔J. Hutchinson, 1969. Evolution and phylogeny of flowering plants. London.〕 The flowers are pollinated by long-tongued moths of the Sphingidae family, such as the sphinx moths or hawk moths and other nocturnal pollinators attracted by the fragrance. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mirabilis jalapa」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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