Abronia villosa S. Watson
Desert sand verbena
Desert sand verbena is a desert-tolerant variety, a native to the west coast of North America.
Plants: Usually less than 6″ (15 cm) high, forming low mats up to 1½′ (50 cm) wide. Plants are sticky, and stems are fuzzy. Desert sand verbena looks similar to pink sand verbena (see below), but it is found in more arid settings. (It can occur on beaches though.)
Leaves: Thick, hairy, ovate, and gray-green in color., and up to 1½″ (3.8 cm) long.
Flowers: All verbenas have hemispherical flowerheads composed of tiny flowers. The neat round “flowers” are really bracts (modified leaves)—the plant does not have petals. Flowers are magenta, purple, or pink, with a sweet fragrance and dark centers. They appear from February to May.
Fruits: Usually winged, ⅛–⅜ ⨉ ⅛–½″ (5–10 ⨉ 4–15 mm).
Habitats: The Mojave Desert, in loose sandy soils in creosote bush scrub at elevations below 5000′ (1.5 km).
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A comparison of two pink sand verbenas. |
Online References:
CalPhotos at the University of California, Berkeley (many photos)
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) 
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 4½ × 4″ (11 × 10 cm) 
4/15/2003 · Near Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona · By Constance B. Kent 
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (52 × 34 cm) 
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 20 cm) 
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 2 × 1′ (62 × 41 cm) 
4/15/2003 · Near Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona · By Constance B. Kent 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Caryophyllidae | Cacti, many other succulents, carnivorous plants, and leadworts |
| Order | Caryophyllales | Includes cacti, carnations, amaranths, ice plants, and many carnivorous plants |
| Family | Nyctaginaceae | Plants with unique fruits (“anthocarps”) and large pollen grains |
| Genus | Abronia | Sand-verbenas or wild lantanas |
| Species | villosa | Means “hairy”—stems are fuzzy |
Abronia villosa description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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