Allionia incarnata

Allionia incarnata is commonly known by many names: Trailing Four-o’clock, Pink Windmills, Umbrella-wort, and in Spanish as Hierba de la Hormiga. It is a member of the Four-o’clock family (Nyctaginaceae).

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Allionia incarnata is a perennial. They sprawl prostrate to sizes between 0.1 and 1.5 meters, and flower from spring through fall. The stems and leaves are glandular hairy. They tend to do well in arid climates fully exposed to the sun. These plants are found on roadsides, sandy plains, rocky desert mesas, and dry river beds (places that tend to have well draining soils).

This plant occurs in southern Utah and other parts of the southwest United States down into South America at elevations of 0-6000 feet. Members of the Four-o’clock family display a perianth that lacks true petals; the petal like flower is actually a modified sepal.

Native Americans such as the Navajo and Seri used Allionia incarnata for diarrhea, fever, swelling and other skin ailments.