Abronia fragrans is a species of sand verbena

Abronia (plant)

Abronia, the sand-verbenas or wild lantanas, is a genus of about 20 species of annual or perennial herbaceous plants in the family Nyctaginaceae. Despite the common names, they are not related to Verbena or lantanas in the family Verbenaceae...

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Description

Sweet sand-verbena is an herbaceous perennial with an upright or sprawling growth habit, reaching 8-40 inches (about 20-102cm). It grows from a taproot with sticky, hairy stems growing from 7.1 inches to 3.3 feet (18-100cm) long. The flowers consist of 4 to 5 petaloid sepals and sepaloid bracts with a tubular corolla borne in clusters of 25 to 80 at the ends of stems. The blossoms are usually white but may be green-, lavender-, or pink-tinged. The sticky leaves are simple and opposite, up to 3.5" (8.89cm) long and 1.2" (3cm) wide, and elliptical or linear. The fruits are egg-shaped achenes about 0.1" (.25cm) long, lustrous, and black or brown. The achene is enclosed within a leathery top-shaped calyx base, which may or may not be winged.

Taxonomy

There is dispute as to the classification of Abronia fragrans, with some recognizing Abronia elliptica as a separate species (Kartesz, Weber) and others believing that the two are the same plant (Welsh). The separation of the two species is based on variances of several characteristics including the shape of the fruit, the hairiness of various parts of the plants, and rhizomatous spreading.

This species was collected by Thomas Nuttall

Thomas Nuttall

Thomas Nuttall was an English botanist and zoologist, who lived and worked in America from 1808 until 1841....

 in 1834 near the Platte River

Platte River

The Platte River is a major river in the state of Nebraska and is about long. Measured to its farthest source via its tributary the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, which in turn is a tributary of the Mississippi River which flows to...

 and was named by him in Hookers

William Jackson Hooker

Sir William Jackson Hooker, FRS was an English systematic botanist and organiser. He held the post of Regius Professor of Botany at Glasgow University, and was the first Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He enjoyed the friendship and support of Sir Joseph Banks for his exploring,...

 1853 description. The species name, fragrans, means 'fragrant' and refers to the sweet smell of the blossoms, while the genus name is from the Greek

Greek language

Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...

 "abros" meaning delicate.

Distribution and habitat

The native range of sweet sand-verbena extends from Northern Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

 to western Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

 and Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

 north through the Rocky Mountain and western plains regions of the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and south to Chihuahua, Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

. Sweet sand-verbena occurs in prairies, plains

Plains

Plains is the plural of plain, a geographical feature. It is a big flat area of a land. Plains or The Plains may also refer to:-Locations:Canada*Three Mile Plains, Nova Scotia*Five Mile Plains, Nova ScotiaUnited States*Great Plains...

, and savannas where it can be found growing in loose, dry, sandy soils.

Ecology

The flowers of this plant open in the evening and close again in the morning, a habit which gives the Nyctaginaceae

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...

 family its common name of Four O'clocks.

Uses

Sweet sand-verbena may be grown in gardens for its attractive blossoms and fragrance, and to attract butterflies.

Southwestern Native Americans used the plant as a wash for sores and insect bites, to treat stomachache, and as an appetite booster.