Allionia incarnata – “Windmills”

Also Known As: Trailing Four O’Clock
Family: Four O’Clock Family (Nyctaginaceae)
Bloom Period: Mar-Sep
Form: Annual trailing vine, sometimes a short-lived perennial
Habitat: Sandy places
Leaves: Ovate to oblong; opposite
Translation: “Alliona” is named for Charles Allioni (1725-1804), Professor of Botany at Turin, Italy; “incarnata” is Latin for “[spirit] embodied in flesh” but it is unclear how that relates to this plant.
Notes: What looks like one flower is actually three flowers blooming in a bunch on end of the same stalk.
Native American Uses: The Navajo made a lotion from the cold infusion of the roots for treating swelling.