Mirabilis comata

Martin and Hutchins 1980, FNA 2003, Jepson 1993, Kearney and Peebles 1969

Duration: Perennial Nativity: Native Lifeform: Forb/Herb General: Stems mostly erect, glabrous or puberulent below, becoming pilose in the inflorescence, simple or sparsely branched below the inflorescence. Leaves: Deltoid-lanceolate to deltoid-ovate blades, to 10 cm long, truncate to somewhat cordate at the base, obtuse to long-acuminate at the apex, glabrous to sparsely puberulent. Flowers: Inflorescence cymose-paniculate, involucres viscid-pilose, the hairs often blackish and jointed, perianth purplish-red, about 10 mm long, sparsely pilose. Fruits: Short-pilose, often tuberculate on the sides, 3-5 mm long. Ecology: Found on slopes, often dry soils; 5,000-10,000 ft (1524-3048 m); flowers June-October. Distribution: s NV, s UT, AZ, s CO, NM. Notes: Distinguished by being an erect 4-o-clock with mostly larger leaves at the base and few, opposite leaves along the stems; the inflorescences are diffuse and open; the bracts below flowers (involucres) are tinged with purple and open wide and have net-veins after flowering; and flowers are shallow bell-shaped and pink-purplish red; fruits are hairy and have 5 ribs. There is some question if this is a segregate taxa or if this is simply a variety of M. albida. Jepson 1993 puts this as a variety, while FNA suggests that it is distinct, but ill defined. This description is drawn from Martin and Hutchins 1980. Plants DB does not place this species in Arizona, but there are a number of collections from the Chiricahuas, Rincons, and Huachucas. Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: Mirabilis is Latin for miraculous or wonderful, while comata means furnished with a tuft. Synonyms: Allionia comata, Oxybaphus comatus Editor: SBuckley 2010, FSCoburn 2015