Flower profile
Wishbone bush
Mirabilis laevis
Wishbone bush (Mirabilis laevis) is a low shrub in the Nyctaginaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly February–May across the U.S.
Wishbone bush is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In California it's most often seen in bloom in February–April.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: California
Quick look
Mirabilis laevis, the desert wishbone-bush, is a recently redefined species of flowering plant in the four o'clock family. Distribution is in the Southwestern United States and northwest Mexico.
- It belongs to the Nyctaginaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a subshrub with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 5 states. USDA PLANTS
- In California, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in February–April. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 14,734 research-grade sightings of it in California, ranking #47 among the 178 flowers on our California list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
In California, most flowering sightings come in February–April.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G4 Apparently secure worldwide. NatureServe
- California
- Not listed Not on California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026). NatureServe has no California rank for it. CNDDB listed plants (July 2026)
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records wishbone bush in 5 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah.
California counties with USDA records: Alameda, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Merced, Mono, Monterey, Orange, Riverside, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura.
Names, range and relatives
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 42 counties across 5 states; the most are in California (16), Nevada (14), Arizona (9).
Other Mirabilis on Bloomipedia (3): Marvel of Peru, Wild Four o'Clock, Colorado Four o'Clock.
More from the Nyctaginaceae family (9 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Trailing windmills, Scarlet spiderling, Great basin sand verbena, Snowball sand verbena, Purple sand verbena, Bougainvillea.
More California flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile MILA6.
- iNaturalist, Mirabilis laevis: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Mirabilis laevis (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- California: California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026).
- California: California noxious weed species (3 CCR § 4500).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Mirabilis laevis (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Alan Prather via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.