| Abronia umbellata | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Nyctaginaceae |
| Genus: | Abronia |
| Species: | A. umbellata |
| Binomial name | |
| Abronia umbellata Lam. 1793 | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
List
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Abronia umbellata (pink sand verbena) is a floweringannual plant which isnative to western North America. Other common names includebeach sand verbena andpurple sand verbena.
This plant is generally found in sandy, well-drainedsoil in areas with low precipitation, it can become a striking carpet-likegroundcover in undisturbed areas after winter rains. Pink sand verbena tolerates seaside conditions and is found on the west coast of North America fromBritish Columbia, Canada toBaja California,Mexico. Sand verbena is typically found on beaches and sand dunes, below thecoastal sage scrub, blooming throughout most of the year.[2][3] It is listed as endangered by the State of Oregon.[4]
Abronia umbellata is a prostrate annual with thick, succulent leaves (leaves occur few to many and are slender, ovate to diamond-shape withstems as long as leaf blades, stems are often hairy) and pink to purple colored flowers with white centers. Flowers occur in clusters subtended by 5-8 lanceolate bracts. The flowers do not havepetals, but thecalyx lobes are cleft giving the appearance of 10-16 petals. The limbs of theperianth is bright colored sometimes to purplish magenta and the tube can be green or red but always-glandularpubescent. The tube includes one pistil and three stamens.[5]
A. umbellata frequently hybridizes with other species ofAbronia, includingA. maritima. Its flower is fragrant at night and attracts moths. The foliage can be deciduous based on environmental stress. This plant is sometimes used in California in native plant gardening.[6]
Originally described in 1793 by the French botanistJean-Baptiste Lamarck,[7]Abronia umbellata was collected in 1786 fromMonterey, California by the gardenerJean Nicolas Collignon of the FrenchLa Pérouse expedition, which had stopped at the capital ofAlta California as part of a journey of scientific exploration spanning the Pacific Ocean. While Collignon and his shipmates perished in a wreck nearVanikoro in theSolomon Islands, some of his collection had previously been shipped back to France during a stop at thePortuguese-heldMacao, including the seeds ofA. umbellata. They were planted at theJardin des Plantes in Paris, and Lamarck eventually named their descendantsA. umbellata, making this species the first Californian flower that does not occur outside of western North America that was described in the scientific fashion ofLinnaeus.[8]
