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Abronia umbellata (Pink sand verbena) is a flowering perennial plant native to

the western United States. Other common names include Beach Sand
Verbena and Purple Sand Verbena.

Contents [hide]
1 Distribution
2 Description
3 History in Europe
4 References
5 External links
Distribution[edit]
Generally found in sandy, well-drained soil in areas with low precipitation, it
can become a striking carpet-like groundcover in undisturbed areas after
winter rains. Pink Sand Verbena tolerates seaside conditions and is found on
the west coast of the North America from British Columbia, Canada to Baja
California, Mexico. Sand Verbena is typically found on beaches and sand
dunes, below the coastal sage scrub, blooming throughout most of the year.

Description[edit]
Abronia umbellata is a prostrate perennial with thick, succulent leaves
(leaves occur few to many and are slender, ovate to diamond-shape with
stems as long as leaf blades, stems are often hairy) and pink to purple
colored flowers with white centers. Flowers occur in clusters subtended by 58 lanceolate bracts. The flowers do not have petals, but the calyx lobes are
cleft giving the appearance of 10-16 petals. The limbs of the perianth is
bright colored sometimes to purplish magenta and the tube can be green or
red but always-glandular pubescent. The tube includes one pistil and three
stamens.

A. umbellata frequently hybridizes with other species of Abronia, including


Abronia 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.[1]

History in Europe[edit]
Originally described by the British botanist Aylmer Lambert, Abronia
umbellata was collected in 1786 from Monterey, California by the gardener
Jean Nicolas Collignon of the French La Prouse expedition, which had
stopped at the capital of Alta California as part of a journey of scientific
exploration spanning the Pacific Ocean. While Collignon and his shipmates
perished in a wreck near Vanikoro, some of his collection had previously been
shipped back to France during a stop at the Portuguese-held Macao, including
the seeds of Abronia umbellata. They were planted at the Jardin des Plantes
in Paris, and Lambert eventually named their descendants Abronia umbellata,
making this species the first Californian flower described by science.[2]

References[edit]
Jump up ^ Bailey, L. H. (2005). Manual of Gardening (Second Edition). Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.
Jump up ^ Beidleman, Richard G. (2006). California's Frontier Naturalists.
University of California Press.

lick on a scientific name below to expand it in the PLANTS Classification


Report.
Rank Scientific Name and Common Name
Kingdom

Plantae Plants

Subkingdom Tracheobionta Vascular plants


Superdivision
Division

Spermatophyta Seed plants

Magnoliophyta Flowering plants

Class Magnoliopsida Dicotyledons


Subclass

Caryophyllidae

Order Caryophyllales
FamilyNyctaginaceae Four o'clock family
GenusAbronia Juss. sand verbena
Species

Abronia umbellata Lam. pink sand verbena

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