Maravilla (High Desert Four O’Clock)
Mirabilis multiflora
Family: Nyctaginaceae
Herbaceous desert perennial. Native to the American Southwest.
Produces myriads of tubular, flaring purple flowers. They protrude
in groups of three or more from a cup-like corolla. The root, which
can grow to monumental sizes and may weigh 5 pounds or more, is the part
used in native medicine. Basically, it is an appetite suppressant,
which serves to numb the mouth and gastric mucosa while producing a kind
of mild stimulation. The root may be chewed or made into tea or liquid
extract. There is an ethnological report of the use of this root
by the Hopi as a hallucinogen, but ingestion of sufficient quantities to
cause trance would almost certainly produce extreme gastric discomfort
as well (not recommended). The Zuni used it more prudently
as a famine medicine, taken internally and rubbed on the belly as a paste,
to allay hunger pangs. Cultivation: Cultivation: Extra
care. Light retards germination. Sow 1 inch deep in spring or summer.
Prefers full sun, poor and dry soils; elevation tolerant. Space plants
2 feet apart. Grows to 2 feet or more.
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