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Abronia umbellata

Lam.

Beach Sand-verbena

G4Apparently Secure (G4G5) Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.143788
Element CodePDNYC010N0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderCaryophyllales
FamilyNyctaginaceae
GenusAbronia
Other Common Names
Abronie rose (FR) Pink Sand-verbena (EN) pink sand-verbena (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Taxonomic Comments
Abronia umbellata is recognized by Galloway in FNA (2003, vol. 4) to be separable into three varieties: var. acutalata, var. breviflora, and var. umbellata, with what have been recognized as A. umbellata ssp. alba, ssp. platyphylla, and ssp. variabilis as introgressive hybrids of A. umbellata with A. maritima. Murdock (2012, Jepson Flora Project) also follows this treatment, recognizing var. acutalata as occurring in British Columbia and Washington. POWO (accessed 2025) follows Tillett (1967), accepting them as three distinct subspecies. In contrast, Kartesz (1999) accepts two subspecies: ssp. breviflora (including A. umbellata var. acutalata) and ssp. umbellata (including A. alba, A. platyphylla, and A. variabilis). Kaye et al. (2006) find that more recently found populations and morphometric and DNA evidence do not support treating A. umbellata ssp./var. acutalata as distinct from ssp./var. breviflora.
Conservation Status
Review Date2001-10-16
Change Date2001-10-16
Ecology & Habitat

Diagnostic Characteristics

Annual plant, with evident central white eyespot; leaves thick, oval to elliptic or rhomboidal, asymmetrical, margins entire to somewhat irregular; found in strand and disturbed areas in coastal scrub bordering strand (Tillett, 1967).
Terrestrial Habitats
Sand/dune
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN1
ProvinceRankNative
British ColumbiaS1Yes
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
CaliforniaSNRYes
WashingtonS1Yes
OregonS1Yes
Plant Characteristics
DurationANNUAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (2)
Oregon (2)
AreaForestAcres
TahkenitchSiuslaw National Forest5,799
WoahinkSiuslaw National Forest5,309
References (9)
  1. Abrams, L. 1944. Illustrated flora of the Pacific states: Washington, Oregon, and California. Vol. 2. Polygonaceae to Krameriaceae. Stanford Univ. Press, Stanford, California. 635 pp.
  2. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2003b. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 4, Magnoliophyta: Caryophyllidae, part 1. Oxford University Press, New York. xxiv + 559 pp.
  3. Hitchcock, C.L., and A. Cronquist. 1973. Flora of the Pacific Northwest: An Illustrated Manual. University of Washington Press, Seattle, Washington. 730 pp.
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
  5. Kaye, T., N. Brian, D. Segotta, and N. Bacheller. 2006. Conservation Strategy for pink sand-verbena (<i>Abronia umbellata</i> ssp. <i>breviflora</i>). Institute for Applied Ecology, USDA Siuslaw National Forest, and USDI Bureau of Land Management. Corvallis, Oregon. [http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/sfpnw/issssp/documents/planning-docs/cs-va-abronia-umbellata-ssp-breviflora-2006-07.pdf]
  6. Munz, P.A., with D.D. Keck. 1959. A California flora. Univ. California Press, Berkeley. 1681 pp.
  7. Murdock, A. 2012. <i>Abronia</i> in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Online. Available: https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=8780. Accessed 2025.
  8. Plants of the World Online (POWO). 2025. Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Online. Available: https://powo.science.kew.org/ (accessed 2025).
  9. Tillett, S.S. 1967. The maritime species of Abronia (Nyctaginaceae). Brittonia 19:299-327.