Also known as beach sand verbena and purple sand verbena, this tender perennial is often grown as an annual and is a member of the four o’clock family, Nyctaginaceae, that also includes bougainvillea. It is native to the west coast of North America from British Columbia, Canada, to Baja California, Mexico where it is found on beaches and sand dunes below the coastal sage scrub. The trailing plant forms a low leafy mat and sometimes has reddish purple stems that are 6-24″ long, 1-2″ high, and root easily as they grow. The stems carry thick succulent leaves that are 2.5″ long, ovate to diamond-shaped, and usually covered with short glandular hairs. During most of the growing season the plants produce short stalks carrying 2″ wide spherical clusters of 10-15 flowers subtended by 5-8 lanceolate bracts. The flowers lack petals but the calyx has 10-16 showy petal-like lobes that are purplish pink and white at the base. Prostrate sand verbena is a good choice for a groundcover, erosion control on beaches, as well as for rock, native plant, and wildflower gardens. The genus name, Abronia, comes from the Greek word ἀβρός (abros), meaning delicate and refers to the appearance of the bracts subtending the flower clusters. The specific epithet, umbellata, comes from the Latin word umbella, meaning a sunshade, parasol, or umbrella and refers to the arrangement of flowers on the stem that resembles the ribs of an umbrella.
Type: Tender perennial grown as an annual
Bloom: Clusters of purplish pink flowers through the growing season
Size: 1-2″ H x 4″ W
Light: Full sun
Soil: Sandy, dry to medium moist, well-drained
Hardiness: Zones 8-10; can be grown as an annual.
Care: Low maintenance
Pests and Diseases: None of significance
Propagation: Seed, division
Companion Plants: Achillea millefolium arenicola, Astragalus nuttallii, Callandrinia maritima
Photo Credit: Sgebic, Wikipedia