Aren’t two different things being confused here? There are plants of Mirabilis jalapa which produce flowers of one color (concolorous) on one branch and concolorous flowers of another color on another branch of the same plant. There are also individual plants of Mirabilis jalapa which produce multicolored flowers, the colors being arrayed as streaks on the petals the flower. There are zinnias with similar color patterns. Everyone pronounces the specific epithet ha-LA-pa, right? Mirabilis nyctaginea is a curious looking plant: I first saw it about thirty-five years ago in Brooklyn, New York where it was a common ruderal plant. At the time I was disappointed that we did not have such interesting weeds back home. I’ll bet that most people who know Mirabilis jalapa will have to be told what M. nyctaginea is. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, 39.03871º North, 77.09829º West, USDA zone 7, where Bessera elegans is about to bloom. My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ BLOG! http://mcwort.blogspot.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/ Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/