Mirabilis jalapa (Four O'clock Flower)

Native from Mexico to Nicaragua, this plant is a perennial herb with a thick, tuberous root. Introduced far beyond its native range, it is now widely established in tropical and warm temperate regions. Its trumpet-shaped flowers open in the late afternoon or evening and wilt by the following morning. They can release a sweet fragrance, although some plants have little noticeable scent. The colorful flower tubes are formed from fused sepals; the flowers lack true petals. A single plant can bear flowers of different colors, including striped or speckled blooms. Its wrinkled, dark fruits each enclose one seed. Photographed in the Valle del Cauca, Colombia.