Abronia ammophila

Abronia ammophila (National Park Service)

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Orthokaryota
Cladus: Neokaryota
Cladus: Photokaryota
Cladus: Diaphoretickes
Cladus: CAM
Regnum*: Archaeplastida
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicota
Cladus: Core eudicots
Ordo: Caryophyllales

Familia: Nyctaginaceae
Tribus: Nyctagineae
Genus: Abronia
Species: Abronia ammophila
Name

Abronia ammophila Greene, 1900
Synonyms

Homotypic
Abronia arenaria Rydb. in Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 1: 137 (1900), nom. illeg.
Heterotypic
Abronia cheradophila A.Nelson in Bot. Gaz. 34: 364 (1902)
Abronia nelsonii Heimerl in Annuaire Conserv. Jard. Bot. Genève 5: 191 (1901)

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental:Northern America
Regional: Central USA
Wyoming

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Greene, 1900. Pittonia; a Series of Papers Relating to Botany and Botanists. Berkeley, CA 4:226.

Additional references

Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2003). Flora of North America North of Mexico 4: 1-559. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2024. Abronia ammophila in Kew Science Plants of the World Online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2024 July 29. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2024. Abronia ammophila. Published online. Accessed: July 29 2024. Reference page.
Hassler, M. 2024. Abronia ammophila. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2024. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published online. Accessed: 2024 July 29. Reference page.
Tropicos.org 2024. Abronia ammophila. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 29 July 2024.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Abronia ammophila in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 08-Apr-12.

Vernacular names
English: Yellowstone Sand Verbena

Abronia ammophila, the Yellowstone sand verbena, or Wyoming sand verbena, is a flowering plant unique to Yellowstone National Park lakeshores and is endemic to the park.[2] Part of the "Four o'clock" family (Nyctaginaceae), Abronia ammophila is best suited in sandy soils and lake shores.[3]

The presence of a sand verbena on the Yellowstone Plateau is surprising because of the high elevation of approximately 7,740 ft (2,360 m) and long, cold winters. Yellowstone sand verbena is a member of a New World plant family that typically lives in warmer climates such as deserts. The genus Abronia includes about 30 species that primarily occur in warmer areas of the western United States and Mexico. Some botanists speculate that the thermal activity in Yellowstone has made it possible for a sand verbena to survive the harsh winters here and slowly evolve into a species that is adapted to this climate.

In recent surveys, botanists have located four populations of Yellowstone sand verbena, but very little is known about its life history and biology. For example, the plant is represented as an annual in the scientific literature, although it is actually a perennial that overwinters underground as a large root system.
Distribution

This species was more widely distributed around the lake.[4] Due to trampling by foot traffic and habitat degradation, the population of the species within the park decreased 56% between 1998 and 2010.[5]
Description

It is a perennial herb[3] with prostrate stems up to 4 dm long, which are sticky and hairy. Head-like clusters of whitish, tubular flowers surrounded by 5 oval bracts bloom in July and August.[5]
References

Treher, A. (2024). "Abronia ammophila". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2024: e.T195190193A195190196. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-1.RLTS.T195190193A195190196.en.
Saunders, N. Elizabeth; Sipes, Sedonia D. (August 2006). "Reproductive biology and pollination ecology of the rare Yellowstone Park endemic Abronia ammophila (Nyctaginaceae)". Plant Species Biology. 21 (2): 75–84. doi:10.1111/j.1442-1984.2006.00153.x. ISSN 0913-557X.
"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
Whipple, Jennifer J. "Yellowstone Sand Verbena (Abronia ammophila): A Yellowstone Lake Endemic". 6th Biennial Scientific Conference: 256.

"Abronia ammophila - Greene". 2018.