Cryptantha clokeyi
Clokey's cryptantha
(c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Boraginaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2
Cryptantha clokeyi (Clokey's cryptantha) is a native California herb in the Boraginaceae family, recognized by 23 co-occurring species. CNPS 1B.2. Key features: large triangular nutlets with sharp translucent tubercles, desert mountains habitat.
Clokey's cryptantha is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native annual found in northwestern Mojave Desert and northern Desert Mountains in rocky to gravelly slopes, desert woodland, and chaparral at elevations of 1,050 to 1,650 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces small white flowers with delicate, minute corolla appendages. Growing 8 to 20 centimeters tall with stout branches, it has strigose stems covered in rough, spreading hairs. Its leaves are 0.5 to 3 centimeters long, oblong to lance-linear, with rough hairs and sunken midveins, becoming smaller toward the stem's top. The plant produces 3 or 4 glossy, brown to mottled nutlets with sharp, white-translucent tips that are distinctively sharp-tubercled.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 23 co-occurring species. CNPS 1B.2. Key features: large triangular nutlets with sharp translucent tubercles, desert mountains habitat.
Habitat and range
Habitat: Rocky to gravelly slopes, ridge crests, granite, rhyolite, or schist, desert woodland, chaparral
Elevation: (850)1050-1650+ m
Outside California: Nevada
Bloom period
Cryptantha clokeyi blooms Apr-Jun.
Conservation status
CNPS 1B.2
How to tell it apart
vs Plagiobothrys: Seeds have a groove down the inner face, not a raised ridge like Plagiobothrys.; vs Johnstonella: Cryptantha nutlets have grooves; Johnstonella nutlets lack distinct grooves on inner face.; vs Eremocarya: Cryptantha has grooved nutlets; Eremocarya nutlets are smooth without grooves.; vs Phacelia: Cryptantha has coiled flower clusters; Phacelia flowers are in looser, more open arrangements.; vs Pectocarya: Seeds lack the comb-like marginal barbs that give Pectocarya its combseed name.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cryptantha clokeyi native to California?
Yes. Cryptantha clokeyi is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Cryptantha clokeyi bloom?
Cryptantha clokeyi blooms Apr-Jun.
What plant family does Cryptantha clokeyi belong to?
Cryptantha clokeyi is in the Boraginaceae family, genus Cryptantha.
Is Cryptantha clokeyi rare or endangered?
Cryptantha clokeyi carries California Rare Plant Rank 1B.2, state rank S3.
What habitat does Cryptantha clokeyi grow in?
Cryptantha clokeyi grows in Rocky to gravelly slopes, ridge crests, granite, rhyolite, or schist, desert woodland, chaparral.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.