Species name :

Mirabilis jalapaL.
Published in L., Sp. Pl. 177 (1753)

Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.)

Mirabilis odorata

Full list of synonyms : [Euro+Med] [PlantList] [IPNI] [POWO] [Catalogue of Life ]

Plant Family :

Nyctaginaceae Juss. (The Four o'clock Family)
3 species from the Nyctaginaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands.

English name(s) :

Four o'clock Flower, Marvel of Peru

Maltese name(s) :

Ħummejr

Status for Malta :

Species that was introduced in Malta after year 1492 and spreads to form established, non-invasive populations. It may become become invasive if it widespreads rapidly.

Frequency :

Very Common     Common     Frequent     Scarce     Rare     Very rare     Extinct

Growth form :

Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: HEMICRYPTOPHYTE (prostate plants with flowers close to the ground)
Germination [info]: Dicotyledon

Legal Protection [link]:

Not Protected by Law (LN200/2011 or LN311/2006)

Red List (1989) :

Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands

Flowering Time :

Dec-Jul

Colour of Flowers:

Violet or Yellow

Habitat in Europe:

Data will be available in the next update of this website.

Preferred habitat in Malta:

Data will be available in the next update of this website.

Botanical Description:

Plant glabrous or slightly pubescent. Stems 50-100 cm, erect. Leaves ovate, acuminate. Flowers in crowded terminal cymes, opening in the afternoon. Perianth red, yellow, white, or parti-coloured; limb e. 25 mm in diameter; tube 25-35 mm.

Distributional range:

Cultivated for ornament, and locally naturalized in S. Europe.

Native region outside Europe:

(Tropical America.)

Distributional map in Europe
and the Mediterranean region (2018):

Occurrences in Europe.
(from Flora Europaea pre year 1993):

Introduced in  the Azores, the Balaeric Islands, Bulgaria, France (incl. Monaco and Channel Islands but excluding Corse), Greece, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Italy (excl. Sicily and Sardignia)

Occurrences in Europe and the Mediterranean region.
(Euro+Med Checklist, 2017) - Country codes

[AE(G) nAu(A) nAz aAz(C F G J L M P S T) nBl(I M N) nBu Ca nCa(C F G H P T) nCo aCr aCy nGa(F) Gr nHs(G S) aHu aIJ Ir nIt Le aLi aLS nLu Md nMd(M) cRf(C) Rm nSa nSi(M S)]