General: Desert Sand Verbena (Abronia villosa) is a sprawling annual forb that grows in sandy places. The stems and leaves are hairy and sticky, often collecting wind-blown sand grains on the plant surfaces. The leaves are triangular to oval, but the leaf bases are unequal.

Flowers are pink to purple, long and tubular, and 15-30 are held in semi-spherical balls on 1-3 inch stalks. The flowers are all attached to the tip of the stalk, and the mass of flowers are bordered by lanceolate bracts

Desert Sand Verbena is an common component of vegetation communities in dry, well-drained sandy areas on desert flats and bajadas in the Lower Sonoran (Creosote-Bursage Flats) life zone.

Around Las Vegas, look for Desert Sand Verbena in sandy places such as the south end of Death Valley National Park and sandy areas in Mojave National Preserve.

Family: Four O'Clock (Nyctaginaceae)