''Abronia villosa'' is a species of
sand-verbena known by the common names desert sand-verbena
[ and chaparral sand-verbena. It is in the four o'clock plant family (]Nyctaginaceae
Nyctaginaceae, the four o'clock family, is a family of around 33 genera and 290 species of flowering plants, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, with a few representatives in temperate regions. The family has a unique fruit t ...
). It is native to sandy areas in the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, associated with creosote-bush and coastal-sage scrub habitats.[
]
Description
''Abronia villosa'' is a short, hairy annual wildflower[ which grows in creeping prostrate masses along the ground. It has oval-shaped dull green leaves and many peduncles bearing rounded ]inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
s of bright magenta or purplish-pink flowers. It grows in the sand of the deserts and coastlines. It has a very sweet fragrance, and is also very sticky. They usually grow between February and May.
Chemistry
The rotenoid
Rotenoids are naturally occurring substances containing a cis-fused tetrahydrochromeno ,4-bhromene nucleus. Many have insecticidal activity, such as the prototypical member of the family, rotenone. Rotenoids are related to the isoflavones.
Natur ...
s abronione and boeravinone C, and the terpenoid lupeol
Lupeol is a pharmacologically active pentacyclic triterpenoid. It has several potential medicinal properties, like anticancer and anti-inflammatory activity.
Natural occurrences
Lupeol is found in a variety of plants, including mango, '' Acaci ...
can be found in ''A. villosa''.
References
Further reading
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External links
''Abronia villosa'' — CalPhotos photo gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2821975
villosa
''Villosa'' is a genus of freshwater mussels, aquatic bivalve molluscs in the family Unionidae
The Unionidae are a family of freshwater mussels, the largest in the order Unionida, the bivalve molluscs sometimes known as river mussels, or simp ...
Flora of Arizona
Flora of Baja California
Flora of California
Flora of Sonora
Flora of the California desert regions
Flora of the Sonoran Deserts
Natural history of the Colorado Desert
Natural history of the Mojave Desert
Taxa named by Sereno Watson
Flora without expected TNC conservation status