Cryptantha clementina

San clemente island dune cryptantha

Family: Boraginaceae · Type: annual · Native

San clemente island dune cryptantha is a California native annual herb found on San Clemente Island in dunes or sandy coastal flats near the immediate coast at elevations of 9 to 60 meters. Flowering from March to April, this plant produces small white flowers with a corolla 3 to 4 millimeters in diameter. Growing 5 to 15 centimeters tall with spreading to decumbent stems that are densely branched and covered in stiff, ascending white hairs, it has a distinctive appearance. Its narrow oblanceolate leaves, 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters long, are rough-hairy on both surfaces with white hairs that have tiny bulbous bases. The fruit consists of four brown nutlets, each 1.4 to 1.6 millimeters long, densely covered in small papillae and low tubercles.

Habitat: Dunes or sandy coastal flats near immediate coast

Bloom period: Mar-Apr

Elevation: 9-60 m

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.