''Abronia umbellata'' (pink sand verbena) is a flowering
annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of seeds, within one growing season, and then dies. The length of growing seasons and period in which they take place vary according to geographical l ...
which is
native to western North America. Other common names include beach sand verbena and purple sand verbena.
Distribution
This plant is generally found in sandy, well-drained
soil in areas with low precipitation, it can become a striking carpet-like
groundcover
Groundcover or ground cover is any plant that grows over an area of ground. Groundcover provides protection of the topsoil from erosion and drought.
In an ecosystem, the ground cover forms the layer of vegetation below the shrub layer known as ...
in undisturbed areas after winter rains. Pink sand verbena tolerates seaside conditions and is found on the west coast of North America from
British Columbia, Canada
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...
to
Baja California
Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...
,
Mexico. Sand verbena is typically found on beaches and sand dunes, below the
coastal sage scrub, blooming throughout most of the year.
Description
''Abronia umbellata'' is a prostrate annual 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 5-8 lanceolate bracts. The flowers do not have
petals, but the
calyx
Calyx or calyce (plural "calyces"), from the Latin ''calix'' which itself comes from the Ancient Greek ''κάλυξ'' (''kálux'') meaning "husk" or "pod", may refer to:
Biology
* Calyx (anatomy), collective name for several cup-like structures ...
lobes are cleft giving the appearance of 10-16 petals. The limbs of the
perianth
The perianth (perigonium, perigon or perigone in monocots) is the non-reproductive part of the flower, and structure that forms an envelope surrounding the sexual organs, consisting of the calyx (sepals) and the corolla (petals) or tepals when ...
is bright colored sometimes to purplish magenta and the tube can be green or red but always-glandular
pubescent The adjective pubescent may describe:
* people or animals undergoing puberty
* plants that are hairy, covered in trichomes
* insects that are covered in setae
In biology, setae (singular seta ; from the Latin word for "bristle") are any of a ...
. The tube includes one pistil and three stamens.
''A. umbellata'' frequently hybridizes with other species of ''Abronia'', including ''
A. 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.
History in Europe
Originally described in 1793 by the French botanist
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, ''Abronia umbellata'' was collected in 1786 from
Monterey, California by the gardener
Jean Nicolas Collignon of the French
La Pérouse expedition, which had stopped at the capital of
Alta California
Alta California ('Upper California'), also known as ('New California') among other names, was a province of New Spain, formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but ...
as part of a journey of scientific exploration spanning the Pacific Ocean. While Collignon and his shipmates perished in a wreck near
Vanikoro
Vanikoro (sometimes wrongly named ''Vanikolo'') is an island in the Santa Cruz group, located to the Southeast of the main Santa Cruz group. It is part of the Temotu Province of the Solomon Islands.
The name ''Vanikoro'' is always used as thoug ...
in the
Solomon Islands, some of his collection had previously been shipped back to France during a stop at the
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
-held
Macao
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a po ...
, including the seeds of ''A. umbellata''. They were planted at the
Jardin des Plantes in Paris, and Lamarck eventually named their descendants ''A. umbellata'', making this species the first Californian flower that does not occur outside of western North America that was described in the scientific fashion of
Linnaeus.
References
External links
Jepson Manual treatment — ''Ambronia umbellata''United States Department of Agriculture Plants Profile: ''Abronia umbellata''''Abronia umbellata'' — Calphotos Photo Gallery, University of CaliforniaLady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas at Austin: ''Abronia umbellata''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4055083
umbellata
Flora of the West Coast of the United States
Flora of British Columbia
Flora of Baja California
Endangered flora of the United States
Plants described in 1793