Boerhavia repens or Alena is a member of Nyctaginaceae better known as the four’o’clock
Boerhavia repens or Alena is a member of Nyctaginaceae better known as the four’o’clock family for the habit of its flowers opening and closing depending on the time of day. This plant is found on all the main Hawaiian islands and many of the less known ones, growing in sandy or rocky soils in coastal areas. As with many plants, native inhabitants found uses for the plant, albeit few, using it mostly as small medicine (e.g. diuretic) and as a famine food. I initially tried to photograph this plant in the evening, but struggled as the flowers were actively closing enough to cause motion blur in my photos. I gave up and to my surprise found them wide open early the following morning, prompting me to stay locked in my hotel room longer than I had intended. In the end this ended up being one of the plants I found most charming, and only now do I realize the resemblance in its growth to a native California plant I have photographed, Mirabilis laevis, with whom B. repens shares the family. Once I had finished, I brought it back to the native nursery Hui Kū Maoli Ola which had been generous enough to lend some of their plants to me and Hana Hou! for this project. -- source link
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