mountain four o'clock

9.9

A leafy wildflower with light purple flowers that open in the evening and last into the next morning

noun

: flor de cuatro de la montaña

The mountain four o'clock blooms in the evening, attracting moths and other nocturnal pollinators.

Examples

She collected seeds from a mountain four o'clock to plant in her wildflower garden.
Hikers in Arizona often come across the vibrant blossoms of the mountain four o'clock in late spring.
The mountain four o'clock blooms beautifully in the evening.
Have you seen the mountain four o'clock growing near the trail?
Hikers in Arizona often come across the vibrant blossoms of the mountain four o'clock in late spring.
The mountain four o'clock blooms in the evening, attracting moths and other nocturnal pollinators.
Have you seen the mountain four o'clock growing near the trail?

Surface Forms

mountain four o'clock singular

mountain four o'clocks plural

Morphology

mountain + four + o'clock

A B1 learner who knows 'mountain', 'four' and 'o'clock' will read this as a time/location phrase (e.g. four o'clock in the mountains) because 'four o'clock' is normally a time expression; they would not infer a leafy wildflower. The term is a lexicalized plant name whose meaning cannot be predicted from the literal parts, so its interpretation is idiomatic and non-compositional for learners.

Etymology

Mountain four o'clock is named for the plant's simple way: its flowers often 'open around four o'clock' in the late afternoon and stay open into the cool night, and the plant grows on mountain slopes. So the name points to a mountain wildflower that 'opens in the evening'.