Nyctaginaceae

Desert wishbone-bush

Mirabilis laevis (Benth.) Curran

Family: Nyctaginaceae
Genus: Mirabilis

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Desert wishbone-bush (Mirabilis laevis) — FlowerPhoto: Eric Knight, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (1)

English: Desert wishbone-bush

Synonyms

Hesperonia laevis (Benth.) Standl.
Mirabilis laevis var. laevis
Oxybaphus laevis Benth.

Flowers

In flower: February to May (from 2,054 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb, Subshrub
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Lower 48 states: native

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Eric Knight, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: W. Terry Hunefeld, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Aaron H, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Joe Decruyenaere, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: cwwood, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Copyright by Curtis Clark, licensed as noted, CC BY-SA 2.5, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: rs7trout, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: Henry Frye, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Copyright by Curtis Clark, licensed as noted, CC BY-SA 2.5, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Marco Serrano, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: Tessa L., CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Daderot, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Mirabilis

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.