Heart's Delight

Abronia ameliae

Nyctaginaceae (Four-O'Clock Family)

Amelia's Sand-verbena

Courtesy: Pyle, Lynn, https://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=87728

Courtesy: Carr, Bill: https://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=20986

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Native Habitat: Grassland, Woodland

Southern Texas Plains

Maintenance

Abronias do not transplant well and they require good drainage to avoid rotting.

Comments

The plants are branched and sometimes sprawling, and sticky all over. Stems are coarse and hairy. Leaves are wavy on the edges. The pink flowers grow in round clusters and are very aromatic. When the flower goes to seed it looks like a cushion filled with pins. Nectar: Tiger Swallowtail.

Growth Form

Herbaceous

Height

1 to

1.5 ft

Spread

.5 to

1 ft

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Deep, Well Drained, Dry

Light Requirement

Part Shade

Water Requirement

Medium

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Bloom Color

Pink

Bloom Season

Spring

Seasonal Interest

Nectar

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Nectar Insects, Moths

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References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ABAM2 3) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=15336&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 4) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Abronia+ameliae&formsubmit=Search+Terms 5) Wasowski, Sally and Wasowski, Andy, Native Texas Plants, Landscaping Region by Region, 1988, 1991, pg 175. 6) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 52. 7) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=19552#null

Native Plant Society of Texas