5

Moving into a house with a garden last year, I collected black-pepper-like seeds from a dried out small shrub.

Putting two of them in a seeding pot resulted in having 2 small shrubs with relatively big green leaves and white trumpet flowers. The flowers remind me of various morning glory-kinds I have seen, but none of those had this kind of leaves.

The dimensions are 40-50cm large and 30-40cm high.

Click the image to enlarge

Improve this question
10
  • what do the flower buds look like? Bell shaped?
    – kevinskio ♦
    Commented Jul 5, 2012 at 19:21
  • As I wrote in my description, trumpet.
    – Patrick B.
    Commented Jul 5, 2012 at 20:11
  • 4
    It looks a lot like Mirabilis jalapa (four o'clock flower). Almost everything fits: leaves, plant size, plant form, flower bud shape, and odd black-pepper-like fruit. But the flower form is wrong. Four o'clocks have petunia like flowers: pointed petals which are often crinkled and notched. The nearly circular outline is not like a four o'clock.
    – Eric Nitardy
    Commented Jul 6, 2012 at 2:59
  • @EricNitardy you're right, it is Mirabilis jalapa, please make an answer. I uploaded a wrong image of the flower and haven't a right one with me now. Sorry.
    – Patrick B.
    Commented Jul 6, 2012 at 7:15
  • 1
    Maybe a species of Datura: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datura
    – Korinna
    Commented Jul 6, 2012 at 7:49

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
4

This is Four o' clock flower, Mirabilis jalapa. It is native to tropical South America, and perennializes in frost free areas, grown as an ornamental annual elsewhere. The large, dark, round seeds fit your description "black-pepper-like". See pictures below:

enter image description here enter image description here enter image description here

Improve this answer
4

The good thing is you can dig up the roots in autumn and keep them over winter- they look like large black carrots, dry them out and keep safe from frost- plant out in late spring and enjoy or you can collect the seeds every year but be aware that they do cross quite a bit and you won't have the same colours every year. Treat them like dahlia's and they will last years and years- just don't let the frost any where near them- end game if you do...

Improve this answer
3
  • Well, now winter is over and I left the roots outside. Soon I will see whether their are dead or not.
    – Patrick B.
    Commented Mar 10, 2013 at 22:14
  • @PatrickB. so are they dead?
    – ashes999
    Commented Aug 6, 2013 at 4:34
  • @ashes999 - yes, they came back in some places - not 2013 though.. but last year and this year. Much faster growing and color safe.
    – Patrick B.
    Commented Jun 9, 2015 at 7:12

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.