Amelia's sand verbena

Description

Abronia ameliae, commonly known as Amelia's sand verbena or heart's delight, is a species of flowering plant in the Four O'clock family, Nyctaginaceae, that is endemic to southern Texas in the United States. It inhabits grasslands in the deep sands of the Holocene sand sheet, which is part of the Tamaulipan mezquital. This species was named for Amelia Anderson Lundell, wife of Cyrus Longworth Lundell. Abronia, the sand-verbenas or wild lantanas, is a genus of about 20 species of annual or perennial herbaceous plants in the family Nyctaginaceae. Despite the common names, they are not related to Verbena (vervains) or lantanas in the family Verbenaceae. They are closely allied with Tripterocalyx. They are native to western North America, from Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada, south to west Texas, California, Baja California and central Mexico, growing on dry sandy soils. Abronia macrocarpa, a Texas endemic, is protected under the Endangered Species Act. Abronia ammophila, the Yellowstone sand verbena, is a plant unique to Yellowstone National Park's lakeshores and is endemic to the park. Only a few species are widespread, and many are quite rare. They make very attractive garden plants for hot, dry sandy sites.