Slightly sticky hairs cover the reddish stems of this low, spreading plant that reaches 1–3 feet high and wide. Note the round clusters of pink, tubular flowers with the stamens within the flower tube.

FLOWERS: March to frost. Pink to lavender; 2–3-inch (2.5–7.6 cm) spherical clusters with 10–30 tubular flowers, each 3/8–3/4-inch (10–20 mm) long, 1/4–3/8-inch (6–8 mm) wide; flowers close by afternoon.

LEAVES: Opposite. Blade oblong to oval, 1/8–2 inches (1–5.5 cm) long; margins entire to wavy; sticky, covered with fine hairs.

HABITAT: Sandy, gravelly soils,  sand bars, sandy hills, dunes,  gypsum soils; sand lands in desert grasslands and scrub.  Common at White Sands National Monument.

ELEVATION: 1,000–6,000 feet.

RANGE: AZ, NM, TX.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Abronia fragrans, A. elliptica, and A. bigelovii all have white flowers.

NM COUNTIES: Southern NM in low- to mid-elevation, sandy habitats: Dona Ana, Eddy, Grant, Hidalgo, Luna, Otero, Sierra.