Abronia mellifera
Abronia mellifera, the white sand verbena, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the Nyctaginaceae family. It is endemic to the northwestern United States.
Description
Abronia mellifera is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant with decumbent or ascending stems up to long. The leaves are attached to petioles long. The leaf blades are ovate to lance-elliptic, and are 1–6 cm long by 0.5–4 cm wide. The leaf margins are entire to sinuate, and the leaf blade surfaces are glabrous or slightly pubescent. Each inflorescence contains 25–60 flowers. The perianth tube is proximally pale rose to distally green, and is 15–25 mm long.The plant typically flowers from spring to fall.
Distribution and habitat
Abronia mellifera is endemic to the Northwestern United States. It is found in grasslands, sandy soils, and cold desert scrub at elevations of above sea level.Conservation
, the conservation group NatureServe listed Abronia mellifera as Apparently Secure (G4) worldwide. This status was last reviewed on 4 June 2024. At the state level, the species is listed as No Status Rank in Oregon, Washington and Utah; Vulnerable in Wyoming; and Critically Imperiled in Idaho.Taxonomy
Abronia mellifera was first fully named and described in 1829 by David Douglas in the Botanical Magazine.Subdivisions
, Plants of the World Online accepts two varieties for this species:- A. mellifera var. mellifera
- A. mellifera var. ''pahoveorum''