Flora of North America species comparison

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Tripterocalyx micranthus

little sand verbena, sandpuffs, small-flower sand-verbena, small-flower sandpuffs
Stems

reddish, glandular-pubescent, ± viscid.
Leaves

petiole 1–4 cm;

blade lance-ovate to elliptic, 1–6 × 0.5–2.5 cm, margins entire or sinuate, ciliate;

surfaces short glandular-pubescent, ± viscid, abaxial surface green or glaucous, adaxial surface green.
Inflorescences

5–15-flowered;

bracts lanceolate to ovate, 3–9 × 1–3 mm, thin and green or ± papery, base ± attenuate, margins glandular-puberulent, often ciliate, or glabrate to lightly glandular-puberulent.
Perianth

tube greenish to pink, 6–18 mm, limb greenish to pink, 3–5 mm diam., lobes inconspicuous.
Fruits

oval to round in profile, 10–20 × 10–20 mm, walls ± spongy on exterior, indurate on interior, ± smooth to rugose;

lateral ribs, if extending into wings, only slightly raised;

wings (2–)3(–4).

Tripterocalyx micranthus
Phenology Flowering spring–fall.
Habitat Sandy soils, desert scrub, desert grasslands
Elevation 800-2400 m (2600-7900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; KS; MT; ND; NM; NV; SD; UT; WY; AB; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The names Abronia cycloptera A. Gray and Tripterocalyx cyclopterus (A. Gray) Standley are illegitimate, based on an attempt by Gray to rename A. micrantha Torrey. Gray believed A. micrantha to be a “precociously fertilized state” of what is here recognized at T. carneus.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 4, p. 70.
Parent taxa Nyctaginaceae > Tripterocalyx
Sibling taxa
T. carneus, T. crux-maltae, T. wootonii
Synonyms Abronia micrantha
Name authority (Torrey) Hooker: Hooker’s J. Bot. Kew Gard. Misc. 5: 261. (1853)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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