Red Sand Verbena, Abronia maritima

About Red Sand Verbena (Abronia maritima) 7 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Red Sand Verbena (Abronia maritima) is a species of sand verbena known by the common name red sand verbena. This is a beach-adapted perennial. Plant native to the coastlines of southern California, including the Channel Islands, and northern Baja California. It grows along stable sand dunes near, but not in the ocean surf. This salt-tolerant plant requires saline water which it receives mostly in the form of sea spray, and cannot tolerate fresh water or prolonged dry conditions. Its succulent tissues are adapted to isolate and store salt. This sand verbena forms a green mat along the ground, its stems sometimes buried under loose sand. It flowers year-round in bright red to pink or purplish clusters of flowers. The mats are thick and provide shelter for a variety of small beach-dwelling animals. This is a rare plant. Its habitat is located in heavily-traveled beach areas, where it is disturbed by human activity.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Perennial Herb

Size

4.8 in tall
1.6 - 6.4 ft wide

Form

Spreading

Dormancy

Evergreen

Flower Color

Pink, Purple, Red

Flowering Season

Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

Wildlife Supported

Butterflies
Bee gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 1 confirmed

, 3 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Lithariapteryx abroniaeellaLithariapteryx abroniaeella

White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata

Euphyia implicataEuphyia implicata

Lithariapteryx Elegans Lithariapteryx elegansLithariapteryx elegans

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun

Moisture

Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 7

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 30° F

Soil Drainage

Fast

Soil Description

Prefers beach sand. Tolerates Saline Soil. Soil PH: 5 - 7

Common uses

Bee Gardens

Companion Plants

Plant with other dune wildflowers and shrubs such as Dune Bush Lupine (Lupinus chamissonis), Seaside Woolly Sunflower (Eriophyllum staechadifolium), Sand-loving Wallflower (Erysimum ammophilum), Sandcarpet (Cardionema ramosissimum), and Coastal Buckbrush (Ceanothus cuneatus var. ramulosus).

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: No treatment. (Emery and Frey 1971). Collect seeds from seed heads after they have dried on the plant. Sow directly in the sand after in Fall or after last frost.

Sunset Zones?

17*, 24*

Natural Setting

Site Type

Sand dunes along the coast.

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 7.9" - 49.3", Summer Precipitation: 0.15" - 0.97", Coldest Month: 41.4" - 57.5", Hottest Month: 58.4" - 78.0", Humidity: 0.42" - 23.71", Elevation: -154" - 1687"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Red Sand-verbena, Sticky Sand-verbena

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Red Sand Verbena

Abronia maritima

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Red Sand VerbenaAbronia maritima

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Red Sand Verbena

Abronia maritima