There beautiful at night (Mirabilis jalapa) is a plant belonging to the family of Nyctaginaceae. It is native to South America, but is now naturalized all over the world. Its flowers are among the most studied in the history of modern botany, as they are fundamental for understanding the hybridization mechanism of flowers and the genetic inheritance of plants. The plant is also used in medicine for its pharmacological properties, even if it is to be considered toxic in all its parts, in case of improper use.
The night beauty is widely cultivated in gardens and in pots as an ornamental plant, being very rustic and adaptable, easily reproducible and sometimes invasive.

We therefore know the history, the botanical characteristics, the cultivation techniques and the properties of this extraordinary plant.

Story of the beautiful night

In Latin mirabilis it means wonderful, in clear reference to the flowers of the night beauties with their variegated colors on the same plant. The word jalapa instead it refers to the probable Mexican origins of the species.
In Europe, the beauty of the night arrived in the 16th century from Peru and was immediately appreciated for its long flowering period and ease of cultivation. In England she was baptized four o ‘clock plantto underline the punctuality of the opening of the flowers starting at four in the afternoon.
At the beginning of the twentieth century it began to be used in studies on the genetic inheritance of plants, thanks to the German botanist Carl Correns. He, referring to Gregor Mendel’s studies on heredity, exploited the Mirabilis jalapa as a model organism to refute, describing the exceptions, Mendel’s theories developed using peas decades earlier, but at that time taken into little consideration by the scientific community.

Botanical sheet of Mirabilis jalapa

Beautiful at night
The night beauty is a perennial herbaceous plant with the biological form of bulbous geophyte, that is to say that it survives thanks to a bulb from which the vegetation starts every year. The underground organ is a real tuber, dark brown in color and elongated shape, also very similar in size to a classic carrot.
The stems are numerous, thick and rather branched, rooting at the nodes. They can reach up to one meter in length, with a prostrate-ascending posture.
The leaves are heart-shaped with a pointed apex, 5-10 cm long, with a beautiful light green color with whitish veins.
Overall, the beauty of the night develops a voluminous bush that has the ability to expand autonomously by dissemination and natural multiplication of the tubers.
the uniqueness of the beauty of the night is that each single flower can be composed of sectors of different colors or of synthesis of the colors of the mother plants.

Beautiful flowers at night

Flowers are the hallmark of the beautiful night. They open from the afternoon hours, so it is in the evening that they have the maximum splendor. The next morning they close again. Their fragrance is intense and pleasant, it recalls the nocturnal moths that forage them in search of pollen and nectar.
The single flower is funnel-shaped, five-lobed and with elongated stamens clearly visible. without calyx, in the place of which there are bracts. The corolla is of different colors. The most usual ones are red, pink, white and yellow. On the same plant there can be flowers of different colors and even the single flower can have different colored streaks. It should also be noted that there are numerous varieties of bella di notte, developed by gardeners to enhance the chromatic virtues of the plant. They are carried singly at the apex of the branches or in small clusters.
The flowering period of the beauties at night is very long, the first flowers begin to appear in late spring, and then continue to bloom until the beginning of autumn.

Seeds

Beautiful seeds at night
Even the seeds of the beauty of the night are very special. About twice the size of a black peppercorn, they have an ellipsoidal shape, dark color, wrinkled surface. To observe them closely they look like miniature grenades.

The cultivation of the beautiful at night

Beautiful bush at night
As mentioned, the beauty of the night is a perennial plant thanks to its underground tuber. However, it suffers from the frost which causes the vegetative part to die in winter. In the first warm spring the vegetation resumes. This applies to plants grown in cold winter climates. In the central-southern climatic zones, for example along the coasts, the vegetation resists even in winter, without suffering particular damage. For this reason it is easier for the plant to escape cultivation, finding ideal conditions and becoming sub-spontaneous.
With these considerations, the beauty of the night can be grown all over Italy.

Place and exhibition

The beauty of the night prefers sunny exposures, but can also live in partial shade.
It is an ideal plant for borders or flowerbeds in a garden bordered by concrete cords. In free soil it can easily spread through tubers or self-seed, taking over other plants and becoming a weed. So pay close attention to the place where you place the beauties at night.
A great alternative is growing in large pots, for example le flower boxes of a balcony.

Ground

There Mirabilis jalapa it is not particularly demanding in terms of terrain. The important thing is that it is well drained, with a good supply of organic matter, Neutral or slightly acidic pH.
In the preparation of the soil it suits you amending the soil of peatof the perlite and organic fertilizer (earthworm humus or compost), in order to ensure the correction of acidity to the substrate, good water absorption and basic fertilization.

Sowing

Night beauty easily reproduces from seed, which can be recovered from mother plants after flowering or purchased in specialized stores to start the cultivation from scratch.
Sowing should be done in early spring, directly in the garden soil or in small pots filled with peat and perlite, placing the seed 1/2 cm deep.
In the open ground, keep a distance of at least 20 cm between one seed and another. You can also broadcast seed and then thin out later. A single seed is enough in the jars.
The night before sowing, soak the seeds in warm water, in this way you will favor germination. The soil must be kept humid on the surface with regular and light waterings.

Division of tubers

Beautiful root at night
The beauty of the night also reproduces through the tubers. In October-November it is enough to uproot the plant from the ground using a spade and obtain the carrot-shaped tuber. This should be cleaned of the earth, dried and kept cool during the winter. At the beginning of spring, a hole is dug and planted vertically at a depth of 15-20 cm. In a short time it will give birth to new shoots.

Irrigation

The beauties at night do not require a lot of water, at least those grown in the open ground. If the season is very dry and hot, 1-2 weekly irrigations are enough in the cool hours of the day. Potted plants need more regular watering.
Be careful not to soak the soil, you could cause rot at the level of the tuber.

Pruning of the beautiful at night

The beauty of the night does not need special pruning, it develops a compact and regular bush by itself. The only intervention to do is cleaning, with the removal of the spent vegetation.

Pests that infest the plant

Despite being particularly rustic plants, the beauties at night are attacked by some parasites. In spring, on young vegetation, pay attention to presence of aphidsto be eliminated at the first signs of infestation using potassium or soft soap macerated garlic.
Even the snails are fond of the plantwhich can be defended by spreading wood ash or eggshells around its perimeter.

Active ingredients and properties of the beauty of the night

The beauty of the night is toxic to humans and animals due to the strong presence of alkaloids. However, it has a long tradition in the pharmaceutical field, where the active ingredients are isolated and extracted in a scientific way.
The active constituents reported in the beauty of the night pharmacopoeia include: alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, glycosides, tannins, saponins, lignin and carbohydrates.
The resulting properties and pharmacological activities are: antidiabetic, anti-inflammatoryantioxidants, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antifungal, diuretic, antispasmodic, antiviral.
It is mainly used in drugs for the treatment of skin diseases, or as: cathartic, purgative, stomachic, tonic, antidissenteric, antiparasitic, healing, digestive and stimulant.

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Philip Owell

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