Abronia villosa (Desert sand verbena)

Abronia villosa S. Watson

Desert sand verbena

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
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

About plant names...

Desert sand verbena is a desert-tolerant variety, a native to the west coast of North America. Like other sand verbenas, it is found in loose sandy soils.

Identification: All verbenas have hemispherical flowerheads composed of tiny flowers. The neat round “flowers” are really bracts (modified leaves)—the plant does not have petals. These plants are usually less than six inches high, forming low mats. The foliage is gray-green in color, and the stems are fuzzy. Desert sand verbena is found in the Mojave Desert, in creosote bush scrub at elevations below 5000' (1.5 km). 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.)

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)

	*Abronia umbellata*	You are here Abronia villosa
Common Name	pink sand verbena	desert sand verbena
Plant	Less than 6" (15 cm) high, spreading in mats.	Less than 6" (15 cm), in mats up to about 20" (50 cm) wide.
Flowers	Pink to purple, with white centers.	Magenta, purple to pink. Sweet-smelling. Centers are not white.
Leaves	Thick, succulent, oval or diamond-shaped.	Dull gray-green, oval-shaped.
Stem	Often hairy.	Very hairy, sticky.
Range/ Zones
Type	Wild	Wild