Abronia turbinata aka Transmontane Sand Verbena

Abronia turbinata is known as transmontane sand verbena. It belongs to Nyctaginaceae, the four-o’clock family. Its home lies in the western United States. Kew places its range from southeastern Oregon to western Nevada. Plants For A Future also includes California in its range. The species is not native to Britain or Ireland. Kew lists it as an annual. Plants For A Future calls it a perennial, so sources differ on its lifespan.

Plants For A Future describes a low plant with greater width than height. It gives a height of about 0.3 feet [0.1 metres]. The listed spread reaches about 1.6 feet [0.5 metres]. These figures suggest a plant for the front of a bed. The supplied accounts do not describe its stems or leaf shape. They also give no details of its fruit. Plants For A Future lists flowering from July to September. Each flower has both male and female organs.

In California, it grows in pinyon-juniper woodland and sagebrush scrub. It also occurs in creosote bush scrub. Reported sites lie at 2,950–8,200 feet [900–2,500 metres] above sea level. Plants For A Future lists sandy soil with good drainage. It reports tolerance of mildly acid, neutral, and mildly alkaline soils. The plant needs an open site rather than shade. The same account allows dry or moist soil and notes coastal exposure tolerance.

Plants For A Future suggests beds and sites beside south- or west-facing walls. Its British hardiness remains uncertain, and no firm hardiness zone is supplied. The source gives seed sowing as a means of propagation. Sow shallowly in sandy compost during autumn or early spring, under glass. Its notes suggest removing the outer seed coat before soaking. The stated soak lasts 24 hours in warm water. Germination may take one to two months at 15°C. Move seedlings into separate pots before planting out in early summer.

Plants For A Future records no known edible uses. It reports a past use of crushed leaves on swellings. That record does not establish safe or effective treatment. The source lists no known hazards, but this does not prove safety. The supplied evidence names no pests or diseases. It also gives no other recorded uses.