Taxon Report

Abronia nana Wats. var. covillei (Heimerl) Munz

Coville's dwarf abronia

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Abronia nana var. covillei, commonly known as Coville's dwarf abronia, is a perennial herb in the Nyctaginaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Great Basin scrub, Joshua tree "woodland", Pinyon and juniper woodland, Subalpine coniferous forest, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 1524 to 3100 meters. Abronia nana var. covillei is ranked 4.2, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Abronia nana Wats. var. covillei (Heimerl) Munz
Common Name:	Coville's dwarf abronia
Family:	Nyctaginaceae
Element Code:	PDNYC010H1
USDA Plants Symbol:	ABNAC
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: May-Aug	May-Aug
Elevation:	1524-3100 (5000-10170)
General Habitats:	Great Basin scrub, Joshua tree "woodland", Pinyon and juniper woodland, Subalpine coniferous forest, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Carbonate, Sandy
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.2
Global Rank:	GNRT3
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG; USFS_S
CRPR Changes:	changed from CBR to 4.2 on 2012-03-06 changed from PPD to CBR on 2012-03-06 changed from 4.2 to PPD on 2012-03-06

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	0
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	0

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Inyo (INY), San Bernardino (SBD)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Big Bear City (3411637), Blanco Mtn. (3711842), Butler Peak (3411731), Cerro Gordo Peak (3611757), East of Echo Canyon (3611645), Fawnskin (3411638), Ivanpah (3511533), Mazourka Peak (3611881), Moonridge (3411627), New York Butte (3611768), Onyx Peak (3411626), Panamint Butte (3611743), Pinto Valley (3511523), Rattlesnake Canyon (3411636), Sand Spring (3711725), Tinemaha Reservoir (3711812), Waucoba Mtn. (3711811), White Top Mtn. (3611774)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	0 %

Notes



See Manual of Southern California Botany, pp. 150, 598 (1935) by P. Munz for taxonomic treatment.
Threats:
Threatened by carbonate mining and vehicles in the San Bernardino Mtns., and by grazing in the White and Inyo mountains.
Taxonomy:

Selected References

Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 52:197 (1908)

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2026. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 3 April 2026].