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Mirabilis expansa
Nyctaginaceae FAMILY

Mirabilis expansa

Mirabilis expansa

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
Growth—

Mirabilis expansa is a plant of higher elevations in the drier tropics where it is usually found at elevations from 2,300 - 3,500 metres[1]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 12 - 20°c, but can tolerate 5 - 25°c[1]. The plant might be intolerant of frost[2]. The top growth is certainly sensitive to frost, being cut back at temperatures below zero, but the root seems to be much hardier[PFAF]. The plant prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 600 - 800mm, but tolerates 500 - 1,000mm[1]. Prefers a fertile, loose alluvial soil[2, 1]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7, tolerating 5.5 - 7.5[1]. The plant is said to grow well in cold harsh environments with strong winds[3, 2]. The plant is perennial but is usually cultivated as an annual[1]. In good growing conditions the production cycle generally lasts about 7 - 9 months but it can be considerably longer[1, 4]. In the harsher environments where the plant grows it can take up to 2 years for the crop to mature, though it is usually harvested after a year. Yields of 50 tonnes per hectare after 2 years are possible[2, 1, 4]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[5].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in early summer, after the last expected frosts. The seed remains viable for several years[2]. Division. Dig up roots in the autumn, store in a cool moist frost-free place over the winter and replant in mid spring. Basal shoots. Stem cuttings. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Mirabilis+expansa>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  2. [2]Lost Crops of the Incas — Popenoe. H. et al · National Academy Press · 1990 · ISBN 0-309-04264-X ↩︎An excellent book. Very readable, with lots of information and good pictures of some lesser known food plants of S. America.
  3. [3]Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications · 1990 · ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 ↩︎Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
  4. [4]Neglected Crops: 1492 from a Different Perspective — Hernándo Bermejo J. E. & León J. (Editors) · Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; Rome · 1994 · ISBN 92-5-103217-3 ↩︎Concise information on many less well known crops from S. America. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  5. [5]Perennial Garden Plants — Thomas. G. S. · J. M. Dent & Sons, London. · 1990 · ISBN 0 460 86048 8 ↩︎A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
  6. [6]Flora of Peru — Macbride. J.F. · Field Museum of Natural History · 1936 ↩︎An excellent attempt at a Flora of Peru, though it is clear that many of the plants were imperfectly known at that time and so information on them was sketchy. Available for download from the Internet.
  7. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎