Yellow Sand-Verbena
Abronia Latifolia, Esch. Four-o’clock Family
Stems.—Prostrate; rubbery. Leaves.—Opposite; unequal; roundish; an inch or so across; petioled; leathery; gummy. Flowers.—Yellow; five or six lines long; in dense clusters, subtended by an involucre of five distinct bracts. Perianth.—Salver-shaped. Tube green; its base strongly angled or winged. Limb yellow; four or five-lobed. Stamens.—Mostly five, within the perianth. Ovary.—One-celled. Style filiform. Stigma club-shaped. Hab.—The seashore from Vancouver Island to Monterey.
The fragrant blossoms of the yellow sand-verbena may be found upon the beach at almost any time of year. The stout root, which often becomes several feet long, is sometimes eaten by the Indians.