sand verbena

noun

: any of various western North American trailing or low-growing herbs (genus Abronia) of the four-o'clock family with flowers like the verbena

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Purple sand verbena is bursting across Anzo-Borrego, so are primrose, the reliable yellow brittlebrush, the shy desert lily, the uncommon notch-leaved phacelia. Claire Vaye Watkins, Outside Online, 15 May 2017 Right now, there are vast fields of purple sand verbena, clusters of yellow desert sunflowers, and the large, white flowers of the dune primrose all over the desert. Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2023 One, the sand verbena Abronia latifolia, is common on dunes along the California coast. Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 4 Mar. 2016 The sand verbena gets nibbled by snails, caterpillars, mice, and maybe deer. Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 4 Mar. 2016 Most of us do not put desert marigold or hairy sand verbena in vases or bouquets. Claire Vaye Watkins, Outside Online, 15 May 2017 The buildings’ desert tones also allow the plants in the resort’s 100,000-square-foot botanical garden to pop: red sand verbena, Mojave yucca, and Shaw’s agave, to name a few. Michaela Trimble, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Feb. 2021 The first place with prominent blooms of desert sunflowers, and purple sand verbena will be Cathedral City, Riverside, according to The Desert Sun. Isabel Garcia, House Beautiful, 5 Feb. 2020 Joshua trees begin sprouting their creamy blossoms in February, and bright splotches from blooming cacti and wildflowers—including the desert lily, sand verbena, and ocotillo—dot the desert floor through April. Shawnté Salabert, Outside Online, 28 Oct. 2019 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sand verbena.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sand verbena was in 1898

Dictionary Entries Near sand verbena

Cite this Entry

“Sand verbena.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sand%20verbena. Accessed 23 Mar. 2023.

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