Abronia
| Abronia subsp. var. | Sand verbena | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 (vervains) or lantanas in the family Verbenaceae. They are closely allied with Tripterocalyx (Nyctaginaceae).
They are native to western North America, from Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada, south to west Texas, California, Baja California and central Mexico, growing on dry sandy soils. Abronia macrocarpa, a Texas endemic, is protected under the Endangered Species Act. Only a few species are widespread, and many are quite rare. They make very attractive garden plants for hot, dry sandy sites.
The stout, sweet root of Abronia fragrans and Abronia latifolia, sometimes over 60 cm long, can be eaten as a root vegetable.
| Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture |
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ABRONIA (from Greek abros, delicate, referring to the involucre). Nyctaginaceae. Sand Verbena. Trailing and upright annuals or perennials, with fragrant verbena-like flowers, suitable for baskets, rockeries or the open border. Herbs, often viscid: leaves opposite from swollen nodes, unequal, petioled and entire: flowers 1 to many in a bracted peduncled head, small, salver-form, red, yellow or white, showy in mass, fragrant; stamens mostly 5, unequal, joined to the corolla-tube and included within it; calyx tubular and corolla-like, 4-5-lobed, the base persistent over the 1-seeded ovary or fr. About 30 species in Amer. Abronias are garden annuals, or treated as annuals, of secondary importance. They are low or trailing plants, rising from 6 to 18 inches high and spreading widely. They are best adapted to open sunny places and light soil. A. umbellata is the common garden species, the trailing stems often reaching a length of 3 to 5 feet, and the flowers appearing all summer and fall; in mild climates, the plant volunteers from self-sown seeds. It is useful for borders and for baskets and porch-boxes, when a change or variety is wanted from the use of verbenas. Under glass, the plant is nearly perennial. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text. |
Cultivation
Grow in sandy peat[1].
Propagation
Propagation is by seeds, sown in open ground after frost, or sown in late summer or early fall in mild climates. For early and continuous summer bloom, seeds may be sown in pots of sandy earth the previous autumn and wintered in a frame. Peel off the husk (calyx) before sowing.CH
Multiply by root division[2].
Pests and diseases
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Species
- Selected species
- Abronia alpina
- Abronia ameliae
- Abronia ammophila
- Abronia angustifolia
- Abronia argillosa
- Abronia bigelovii
- Abronia bolackii
- Abronia carletonii
- Abronia cruxmaltae
- Abronia cycloptera
- Abronia elliptica
- Abronia fragrans
- Abronia latifolia
- Abronia macrocarpa
- Abronia maritima
- Abronia mellifera
- Abronia nana
- Abronia pogonantha
- Abronia puchella
- Abronia turbinata
- Abronia umbellata
- Abronia villosa
Gallery
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Abronia villosa
Abronia ameliae
