Cryptantha flaccida
Weak-stemmed or pale cryptantha, Weak-Stemmed Or Pale Cryptantha
(c) Elaine with Grey Cats, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Boraginaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Cryptantha flaccida (Weak-stemmed or pale cryptantha) is a native California herb in the Boraginaceae family, recognized by 51 co-occurring species. Key features: pale green wiry appearance, recurved/hook-tipped calyx bristles with exudate, single plump nutlet.
Weak-stemmed cryptantha is a California native annual found in the California Floristic Province and western Modoc Plateau in semi-barren gravelly sites, rocky slopes, washes, grasslands, and chaparral at elevations up to 1,700 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces small white to yellow flowers with yellow appendages in delicate cymes. Growing with slender, wiry erect stems 15 to 50 centimeters tall that are pale green and appressed-hairy, it develops sparse branches throughout its structure. Its leaves are pale green, linear, 2 to 6 centimeters long, and sparsely covered with appressed hairs. The fruit consists of smooth, shiny lance-ovate nutlets 1.8 to 2.3 millimeters long with a swollen proximal half and long-acuminate tip.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 51 co-occurring species. Key features: pale green wiry appearance, recurved/hook-tipped calyx bristles with exudate, single plump nutlet.
Habitat and range
Habitat: Common; semi-barren, gravelly, loose soils, rocky sites, washes, slopes, ridges, grasslands, chaparral, foothill woodland
Elevation: < 1700(2250) m
California counties: Fresno, Kern, Mariposa, Santa Barbara, Lake, Butte, Del Norte, Mendocino, Monterey, San Bernardino, Trinity, Tuolumne, Alameda, San Luis Obispo, Tulare, Siskiyou, Los Angeles, Placer, Amador, Contra Costa, Yolo, Humboldt, Santa Clara, Madera, Colusa, Napa, El Dorado, Sacramento, Sutter, Tehama, Calaveras, Plumas, Stanislaus, Marin, Merced, Glenn, Shasta, Yuba, Solano, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Sonoma, San Diego, Santa Cruz, San Benito, Kings, Ventura, Inyo, Riverside, Lassen
Outside California: to Washington, Idaho
Bloom period
Cryptantha flaccida blooms Apr-Jul.
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 flaccida native to California?
Yes. Cryptantha flaccida is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Cryptantha flaccida bloom?
Cryptantha flaccida blooms Apr-Jul.
Where in California does Cryptantha flaccida grow?
Cryptantha flaccida occurs in Fresno, Kern, Mariposa, Santa Barbara, Lake, Butte, Del Norte, Mendocino and other counties, at elevations of < 1700(2250) m.
What plant family does Cryptantha flaccida belong to?
Cryptantha flaccida is in the Boraginaceae family, genus Cryptantha.
What habitat does Cryptantha flaccida grow in?
Cryptantha flaccida grows in Common; semi-barren, gravelly, loose soils, rocky sites, washes, slopes, ridges, grasslands, chaparral, foothill woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
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.