Abronia macrocarpa

• Overview
• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

The large-fruited sand verbena is a graceful perennial member of the four o'clock family and is native to sandy areas of East Texas. The stems are ascending to erect , to 50 cm tall. The sand verbena produces among the region's most attractive inflorescences. In spring , head-like clusters of 20-75 fuchsia to magenta flowers 18-30 mm long are borne above light green, hairy , sticky leaves. Intensely scented flowers open at dusk and attract moths throughout the evening hours until dawn. Plants are self-infertile with viable fruit occurring only as result of plant-to-plant crosses (Williamson and Bazeer 1997). The fruits 8-15 mm long, heart-shaped in side view and have 5 papery wings. Wind-blown fruits travel across the plant's habitat thus dispersing the fruit's seeds. After flowering the plant goes dormant for the summer, surviving as a taproot .

Abronia macrocarpa is adapted to the harsh and fragile sandy openings and dunes in savannah-like woodlands. These regions are characterized by deep, sandy infertile soils, disturbed areas with low and unreliable precipitation levels and extreme daily and yearly temperature fluctuations. First collected in 1968 but not formally described until 1972, the plant has been federally listed as endangered since 1988 (Reed 2001; Tiller 2001; Williamson 2001).

Endangered

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Description

Family Nyctaginaceae

Herbs, shrubs , trees , or sometimes spiny vines . Leaves opposite, alternate, or whorled ; stipules absent; petiole usually present, well defined; leaf blade simple , herbaceous or slightly fleshy , margin entire. Inflorescences mostly terminal , less often axillary , of cymes, umbels, or verticils , sometimes 1-flowered or fasciculate, often grouped into panicles; bracts often inconspicuous, sometimes forming calyxlike involucre, or large and brightly colored . Flowers bisexual , rarely unisexual or polygamous, actinomorphic . Perianth constricted beyond the ovary, base persistent , closely enclosing ovary which appears inferior, limb petaloid beyond constriction, tubular , funnelform , or campanulate , apex 5-10-lobed, lobes plicate or valvate in bud, persistent or caducous . Disk absent. Stamens (1-) 3-5(-many), hypogynous, free or connate at base, involute in bud; anthers 2-loculed, dehiscence longitudinal . Ovary superior, 1-loculed; ovule 1. Style 1; stigma globose . Fruit an achenelike anthocarp enclosed by persistent perianth, ribbed or winged , often glandular . Seed 1; endosperm present; embryo straight or curved .

About 30 genera and 300 species: tropics and subtropics, mainly in tropical America; six genera (two introduced ) and 13 species (one endemic, three introduced) in China.[1]

Genus Abronia

Herbs, annual or perennial , sometimes cespitose or appearing acaulescent , usually viscid-pubescent, from slender to stout taproot (extensively rhizomatous in Abronia bolackii). Stems prostrate to erect , unarmed , without glutinous bands on internodes. Leaves usually basal and cauline (all basal in A. bigelovii and A. nana), unequal in each pair, petiolate ; blade ± thick and succulent, base usually asymmetric . Inflorescences axillary (appearing scapose in A. bigelovii and A. nana), pedunculate , capitate clusters , with peripheral flowers usually opening first; receptacle slightly rounded to conic, without pedicel-like projections; bracts persistent , not accrescent , 5-10, distinct , forming involucre, lanceolate to broadly ovate , thinly papery or scarious , translucent , occasionally thin and green. Flowers bisexual , chasmogamous ; perianth radially symmetric , funnelform or salverform , constricted distal to ovary, abruptly expanded to 5-lobed limb; stamens 5-9, included ; styles included; stigmas linear . Fruits winged or not, usually fusiform or turbinate , in profile rhombic , cordate, or obdeltate, coriaceous , glabrate to viscid puberulent ; wings 2-5, opaque , subtly veined, not or only slightly extending beyond apex or base of body, distal margins sometimes dilated and flattened, broader than lamina, interior hollow, forming cavity , or filled with spongy tissue ; sulci smooth or slightly rugose .

Species ca. 20: North America, Mexico.

Mature to near-mature fruits are usually required for identification of Abronia species because of the variation of vegetative structures within each taxon . Abronia appears to be in a state of active evolution. Cross-pollination readily occurs in the greenhouse, producing a variety of hybrids. Hybridization occasionally occurs in the field .[2]

Physical Description

Habitat

Sand dunes; of conservation concern; 100 m [3].

A. macrocarpa is found on sandy substrates, including blowouts , aeolian sand deposits, and sandy dunes in post oak and grassland mosaic vegetation types. Soil type of one site in Freestone County, which contains thousands of individuals, is characterized as the Pickton loamy fine sands in the southern portion and Wolfpen loamy fine sand at the northern extent (Williamson 2001).

Ecology:

• Pollinators include moths attracted to the sweet-smelling blooms . Yaupon and grape plants serve as hosts plants for these moths (Williamson et al. 1994).
• Abronia macrocarpa is self-incompatible (Williamson et al. 1997).

Biology

Reproduction

Duration: Perennial

Growth

Culture: Space 9-12" apart.

Soil: Minimum pH: 5.6 • Maximum pH: 6.5

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun .

Moisture: Drought Tolerance: High

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b. (map)

Taxonomy

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Publishing author : Galloway Publication : Brittonia 24 (2): 148 (1972).Place of publication: Brittonia 24:148. 1972

Name verified on 20-Apr-1994 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 22-May-1997

Similar Species

Members of the genus Abronia

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 120 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

A. acutalata · A. alba (Whiteflower Sand Verbena) · A. alba platyphylla · A. alba var. platyphylla · A. alba variabilis · A. alpina (Ramshaw Meadows Sand Verbena) · A. ameliae (Amelia´s Sand-Verbena) · A. ammophila (Wyoming Sand Verbena) · A. angulata · A. angustifolia (Narrow-Leaf Sandverbena) · A. arenaria · A. argillosa (Clay Sand Verbena) · A. arizonica · A. bakeri · A. bigelovii (Galisteo Sand Verbena) · A. bigelovii Heimerl 'Galisteo Sand Verbena' · A. bolackii (Bolacks Sand Verbena) · A. breviflora · A. californica · A. carletoni (Carleton's Sand Verbena) · A. carletonii (Carleton's Sand Verbena) · A. carnea · A. carnea var. carnea · A. carnea var. wootonii · A. carterae · A. cheradophila · A. covillei · A. crux-maltae · A. cycloptera · A. deppei · A. elliptica (Fragrant White Sand Verbena) · A. exalata · A. fallax · A. fendleri · A. fragrans (Fragrant White Sand-Verbena) · A. fragrans elliptica · A. fragrans glaucescens · A. fragrans var. pterocarpa · A. glabra · A. glabrifolia · A. glauca · A. glaucescens · A. gracilis (Slender Sand Verbena) · A. gracilis subsp. platyphylla · A. insularis (Island Sand Verbena) · A. lanceolata · A. latifolia (Coastal Sand Verbena) · A. latiuscula · A. lobatifolia · A. lythrochiladel · A. macrocarpa (Large-Fruited Sand Verbena) · A. maritima (Red Sand Verbena) · A. maritima maritima · A. mellifera (Honey-Scent Sand Verbena) · A. menziesii · A. micrantha · A. micrantha pedunculata · A. minor (Little Sand Verbena) · A. nana (Dwarf Sand Verbena) · A. nana covillei (Coville's Dwarf Abronia) · A. nana S.Watson var. harrisii Welsh (Harris' Dwarf Sand Verbena) · A. nana lanciformis · A. nana S.Watson var. nana S.Watson (Dwarf Sand Verbena) · A. nana var. covillei (Coville's Dwarf Sand Verbena) · A. nana var. harrisii (Harris' Dwarf Sand Verbena) · A. nana var. nana (Dwarf Sand Verbena) · A. nealleyi · A. nelsonii · A. neurophylla (Beach Sand Verbena) · A. nudata · A. ochoterenae · A. orbiculata · A. parviflora · A. pedunculata · A. pinetorum · A. pinetorum var. aurita · A. platyphylla (Broadleaf Sand Verbena) · A. pogonantha (Mojave Sand Verbena) · A. pumila · A. ramosa · A. robusta · A. rosea · A. rotundifolia · A. sparsifolia · A. speciosa · A. suksdorfii · A. taeniata graminea · A. taeniata taeniata · A. taeniatus · A. texana · A. torreyi · A. turbinata (Transmontane Sand Verbena) · A. turbinata var. marginata · A. umbellata (Pink Sand Verbena) · A. umbellata acutalata · A. umbellata alba · A. umbellata breviflora (Pink Sand Verbena) · A. umbellata 'Grandiflora' · A. umbellata 'Pink Sand Verbena' · A. umbellata platyphylla

More Info

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Further Reading

• (2002). Texas Threatened and Endangered Plants--Profiles. Texas Parks and Wildlife. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/nature/endang/plants/index.htm. Accessed: 2002.
• Anonymous. 1983 August 23. Tread lightly; The flower matters. New York Times;
• FNA Editorial Committee. 1993–. Flora of North America. (F NAmer)
• Galloway, L.A. 1972. Abronia macrocarpa (Nyctaginaceae): A new species from Texas. Brittonia. 24: 148-149.
• Galloway, L.A. 1975. Systematics of the North American desert species of Abronia and Tripterocalyx (Nyctaginaceae). Brittonia. 27: 328-347.
• Galloway. 1975. Brittonia 27:346.
• Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the U.S., Canada, and Greenland. In: Kartesz, J.T.; Meacham, C.A., editors. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden. Chapel Hill, NC.
• Kennedy, K.; Poole, Jackie M.; Orzell, S. 1990. Revised status report on Abronia macrocarpa. Albuquerque, New Mexico: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. p.5.
• Poole, J.M.; Riskind, D.H. 1987. Endangered, threatened, or protected native plants of Texas. Austin, TX: Texas Parks Wildlife Department.
• Rees, M.D. 1988. Final listing rules approved for 25 species. Endangered Species Technical Bulletin. 13, 9-10: 3-5.
• Tiller, A.A. (2001). The large-fruited sand verbena. Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens. http://www.cp4.hctx.net/mercer/mpsandverbena.htm.
• Tiller, A.A. 2001. The large-fruited sand verbena. 1731 Hugh Road Houston, Texas: Parkscape. Harris County Precinct 4. Public Affairs Department. p.3.
• Turner, B. L. 1983. Abronia macrocarpa Status Report. p.9.
• USFWS. 1986. Endangered Species Technical Bulletin. 13, 9-10: 1-16.
• USFWS. 1987. Endangered Species Technical Bulletin. 12, 7: 1-8.
• USFWS. 1987. Proposed Endangered Status for Abronia macrocarpa (Large-Fruited Sand-Verbena). Federal Register. 52, 115: 22944-22946.
• USFWS. 1988. Determination of Endangered Status for Abronia macrocarpa (Large-fruited Sand-verbena). Federal Register. 53, 188: 37975-37978.
• USFWS. 1992. Large-fruited sand-verbena (Abronia macrocarpa) Recovery Plan. Albuquerque, New Mexico: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. p.37. Final.
• United States Fish and Wildlife Service. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Species Information: threatened and endangered animals and plants - on-line resource. (US Fish & Wildl List)
• Williamson, P.S.; Bazeer, S.K. 1997. Self-incompatibility in Abronia macrocarpa (Nyctaginaceae). Southwestern Naturalist. 42: 409-415.
• Williamson, P.S.; Bazeer, S.K.; Janssen, G.K. Self-Incompatibility in Abronia macrocarpa (Nyctaginaceae), and Endangered Texas Endemic: Comparison of Self- and Outcross Pollen Tube Growth. Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-GTR-283. Proceedings of the Southwestern Rare and Endangered Plant Conference; September 11-14; Flagstaff, AZ. In: Maschinski, J.; Hammond, H.D.; Holter, L., editors. 1996. USDA and US Forest Service. p 171-178.
• Williamson, P.S.; Muliana, L.; Janssen, G.K. 1994. Pollination biology of Abronia macrocarpa (Nyctaginaceae), an endangered Texas species. Southwestern Naturalist. 39: 336-341.
• Williamson, P.S.; Werth, C.R. 1999. Levels and patterns of genetic variation in the endangered species Abronia macrocarpa Galloway (Nyctaginaceae). American Journal of Botany. 86, 2: 293-301.
• Lu Dequan. 1996. Nyctaginaceae. In: Tang Changlin, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 26: 114.
• Galloway, L. A. 1975. Systematics of North American desert species of Abronia and Tripterocalyx. Brittonia 27: 328-347.
• Tillett, S. S. 1967. The maritime species of Abronia (Nyctaginaceae). Brittonia 19: 299-327.

Notes

Contributors

• "Abronia macrocarpa". in Flora of North America Vol. 4 Page 62, 63, 64. Published by Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org.
• Bisby FA, Roskov YR, Orrell TM, Nicolson D, Paglinawan LE, Bailly N, Kirk PM, Bourgoin T, van Hertum J, eds (2008). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist Taxonomic Classification. CD-ROM; Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2007. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed March 31, 2007.
• Center for Plant Conservation Plant Profile for Abronia macrocarpa. Accessed January 15, 2007.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed February 28, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from provider.
• The International Plant Names Index. Accessed Jan 19, 2007.
• USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL (May 01, 2008)
• USDA, NRCS. 2005. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 28, 2008:

• USDA PLANTS: USDA PLANTS Database

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2646068
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-19561
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:603993-1
• GRIN Nomen Number: 320107
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 19561
• International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 84-2
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: PDNYC010D0
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Species Identifier: Q24E
• U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: ABMA5
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 66092

Footnotes

1. Dequan Lu & Michael G. Gilbert "Nyctaginaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 5 Page 430. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
2. Leo A. Galloway "Abronia". in Flora of North America Vol. 4 Page 16, 61. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
3. "Abronia macrocarpa". in Flora of North America Vol. 4 Page 62, 63, 64. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]

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