Abronia villosa

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. 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 inflorescences 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. The species typically grows between February and May.

Conservation

, the conservation group NatureServe listed Abronia villlosa as Secure (G5) worldwide. This status was last reviewed on 29 July 1988. At the state level, the species is listed as No Status Rank throughout its range except in Utah, where it is assessed as Critically Imperiled.

Chemistry

The rotenoids abronione and boeravinone C, and the terpenoid lupeol can be found in A. villosa.