Abronia villosa var. aurita

Chaparral sand-verbena, Chaparral Sand-Verbena, chaparral sand-verbena, chaparral sand-verbena

Family: Nyctaginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Chaparral sand-verbena is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found in central and southern California coastal areas and western desert regions in sandy coastal-sage scrub and chaparral habitats at elevations below 1,600 meters. Flowering from March to August, this plant produces pink to rose-colored flowers with a perianth tube 2 to 3.5 centimeters long and flower limbs up to 1.8 centimeters wide. Growing with slender branching stems that spread across sandy ground, it forms low-growing clusters typically 10 to 30 centimeters in diameter. Its leaves are oval to rounded, arranged opposite along the stems, with soft, slightly succulent texture. The fruit develops distinctive winged structures that extend beyond the smooth central body, providing effective seed dispersal in its arid habitat.

Habitat: Sandy places in coastal-sage scrub, chaparral

Bloom period: Mar-Aug

Elevation: < 1600 m

Bioregions: c&amps SCo, w DSon.

California counties: San Diego, Riverside, Orange, Los Angeles

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.