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Abronia fragrans

Snowball Sand Verbena · Sweet Sand Verbena · Fragrant White Sand Verbena · Prairie Snowball

Family NyctaginaceaeGenus Abronia

A dense rounded head of small white trumpet flowers
FlowerUnknownPublic domain

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

The plant

Habit
Herbaceous PerennialExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Habit
perennialPlants of the World Online
Height
1-3 ft30-90 cmExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Spread
1-3 ft30-90 cmExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Flower
Green, Pink, Purple/Lavender, WhiteExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Blooms
Fall, Spring, SummerExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Native range
Northern Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Rocky Mountain, western plains of U.S., Chihuahua, MexicoNotes from web searches
Note
This species is drought tolerantNotes from web searches

Growing conditions

Sun
Full sun to partial shadeNotes from web searches
Soil
Loam (Silt), SandExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0), Alkaline (>8.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0)Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Organic matter
LowNotes from web searches
Moisture
Good Drainage, Occasionally Dry, Very DryExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Watering
Tolerates well-drained, occasionally dry conditionsNotes from web searches

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — NC State Extension; Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Notes from web searches — Amir Abed.

Worth knowing

  • Indigenous peoples of the Southwest have used it as a wash for sores and insect bites. Gardeners grow it for its scent and to draw butterflies. Wikipedia: Abronia fragrans

Protocol

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Very high Rated by us, not by the source.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: either

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 10 days to germinate.

2% germination in 8–10 days.

Deno notes the percentage could not be determined accurately, because the sample held a great deal of chaff and many empty seed coats.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Abronia p. 82Public domain
Show the original text
A. fragrans germ. 70(2% in 8-10d). Light or a prior 3 m at 40 had no effect. The percent germination could not be accurately determined because of the abundance of chaff and empty seed coats.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Abronia p. 82. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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