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Plant Profile

Yellowstone Sand-verbena (Abronia ammophila)

Abronia ammophila flowering in situ in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

Photo Credit: Matt Berger

Global Rank: G1 - Critically Imperiled
Legal Status: N/A
Family: Nyctaginaceae
State: WY
Nature Serve ID: 155919
Lifeform: Forb/herb
Date Inducted in National Collection: 01/01/2005

Description:

Abronia ammophila, a.k.a. the Wyoming sand verbena, is an upright, multi-branched perennial herb that is a member of the Nyctaginaceae family. It was first collected at the mouth of Pelican Creek along the north shoreline of Yellowstone Lake in 1885 by Frank Tweedy, and later named by Greene. Sticky glands cover the plant, except the corolla, causing the plant to be covered in sand. Leaf blades are succulent, oval to diamond-shaped, 1-2.5 cm long, and 0.6-1.5 c m wide. It starts flowering in the middle of June, and continues to bloom into September (or until the first frost), producing 15-35 greenish-white flowers subtended by membranous bracts (Galloway 1975, Greene 1900, Heidel 2007, Tweedy 1886, and Anderson and Harmon 2002). A. ammophila was a Category 2 candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act in 1993. However, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service excluded this category in 1996 (USFW 1993 and 1996).

Where is Yellowstone Sand-verbena (Abronia ammophila) located in the wild?

Habitat:

This species is found on open, sandy, sparsely vegetated lakeshores within 40 meters of the shoreline. These open habitats might be maintained by erosion and fluctuation in water level (Anderson and Harmon 2002). Elev. 2,300-2,500 m. (Galloway 2003). A. ammophila is associated with Phacelia hastate, Rumex venosus, Polemonium pulcherrimum, and Lupinus argenteus (Heidel 2007).

Distribution:

Wyoming Sand verbena is found only at Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park (Galloway 1975).

States & Provinces:

Yellowstone Sand-verbena can be found in Wyoming

Which CPC Partners conserve Yellowstone Sand-verbena (Abronia ammophila)?

Denver Botanic Gardens

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 06/09/17

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

07/29/2020

Saunders and Sipes (2004) conducted ecological studies of pollination and reproductive systems of Abronia ammophila in 2003.

07/29/2020

A. ammophila seed was collected by the Denver Botanic Gardens in 2005 and is stored in the National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

Endemic to Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Intrinsically rare. Some habitat has probably been lost to development of campground and recreational facilities on Yellowstone Lake.

Akiko Okawado

01/01/2010

Threats include small population size, limited distribution, thermal activity and recreational use in this species' habitat or in the immediate vicinity of the plants (Heidel 2007 and Anderson & Harmon 2002). Almost all individuals are concentrated i

Akiko Okawado

01/01/2010

The total estimated population was 8325 individual plants in 1998 (Anderson and Harmon 2002), with 96% of the population found in a single large colony at Mary Bay (Heidel 2007).

Akiko Okawado

01/01/2010

- A. ammphila seed was collected by the Denver Botanic Gardens in 2005 and is stored in the National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation in Fort Collins, Colorado. - Saunders and Sipes (2004) conducted ecological studies of pollination and reproductive systems of Abronia ammophila in 2003.

Akiko Okawado

01/01/2010

All known occurrences of this species are protected in Yellowstone National Park.

Akiko Okawado

01/01/2010

Research needs involve all aspects of this species' ecology and life history.

Akiko Okawado

01/01/2010

Not Available