Sand Verbena

There are these low growing plants in the dunes that we call sand verbena. They are in the Nyctaginaceae family and locally we have three different versions. Pink sand verbena or Abronia umbellata, red sand verbena or Abronia maritima, and coastal sand verbena or Abronia latifolia.

The first two pictures show pink sand verbena and the color variation that can occur in it. It grows in the rear dunes and is usually the first sand verbena you see when you traverse the dunes from east to west.

This next picture is red sand verbena which is the darkest in color and grows closest to the water. Viable seeds of this plant are very difficult to find and most of the seed pods will contain no seeds.

These last two pictures of coastal sand verbena show the color variation that occurs in it. A. latifolia is usually yellow in appearance but occasionally takes on this peachy color that I really like (I guess that is the horticulturalist in me coming out). It grows in between the other two sometimes mixed with one or the other.