Abronia fragrans Nutt. ex Hook.

Nomenclature and Growth Habit

Abronia fragrans Nutt. ex Hook., commonly known as sweet sand-verbena, is an herbaceous perennial plant with an upright or sprawling growth habit.

Plant Size and Stem Characteristics

It reaches a height of 8–40 inches (about 20–102 cm), growing from a taproot, with sticky, hairy stems that measure 7.1 inches to 3.3 feet (18–100 cm) in length.

Flower Inflorescence Structure

Its flowers are held in clusters of 25 to 80 at stem ends; each flower has 4 to 5 petaloid sepals, sepaloid bracts, and a tubular corolla.

Flower Coloration

Blossoms are typically white, but may have green, lavender, or pink tints. Across most of its native range, blossoms are solid pure white, but in southern parts of the range they sometimes develop a faint lavender-pink blush.

Leaf Arrangement and Texture

Its leaves are sticky, simple, and grow in opposite arrangements.

Leaf Size and Shape

They can be up to 3.5 in (8.9 cm) long and 1.2 in (3.0 cm) wide, and are elliptical or linear in shape.

Fruit Characteristics

Fruits are egg-shaped achenes about 0.1 in (0.25 cm) long, with a lustrous texture and black or brown color. Each achene is enclosed within a leathery, top-shaped calyx base that may or may not be winged.

Flower Opening Habit

Flowers of this plant open in the evening and close again in the morning, which is the habit that gives the Nyctaginaceae plant family its common name of four o' clocks.

Flowering Period

Flowering occurs irregularly from June through late fall.

Native Distribution Range

The native range of sweet sand-verbena stretches from Northern Arizona to western Texas and Oklahoma, extending north through the Rocky Mountain and western plains regions of the United States, and south to Chihuahua, Mexico.

Wild Habitat and Soil Preferences

It grows in prairies, plains, and savannas, most often in loose, dry, sandy soils.

Garden Cultivation Uses

It is cultivated in gardens for its attractive, fragrant blossoms, and to attract butterflies. In garden cultivation, it has less strict soil requirements than it does in wild habitats.

Indigenous Use Overview

Indigenous peoples of the American Southwest use this plant for a variety of purposes. It is used as a wash for sores and insect bites, to treat stomachache, and as an appetite booster.

Navajo Medicinal Uses

The Navajo use it medicinally for boils, and take it internally when a spider has been swallowed. The Kayenta Navajo use it as a cathartic, for insect bites, as a sudorific, as an emetic, for stomach cramps, and as a general panacea. The Ramah Navajo use it as a lotion for sores or sore mouth, and to bathe perspiring feet.

Keres Traditional Uses

The Keres people mix ground roots of the plant with corn flour, eating the mixture to gain weight; they also use this mixture to avoid becoming greedy, and make ceremonial necklaces from the plant.

Ute and Zuni Medicinal Uses

The Ute use both the roots and flowers for stomach and bowel issues, while the Zuni use only fresh flowers for stomachaches.

Acoma and Laguna Food Uses

The Acoma and Laguna peoples mix ground roots with cornmeal and eat the mixture as food.