Cryptantha ganderi
Gander's cryptantha
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Family: Boraginaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1
Cryptantha ganderi (Gander's cryptantha) is a native California herb in the Boraginaceae family, recognized by 16 co-occurring species. CNPS 1B.1. Key features: Borrego Valley endemic, large urn-shaped calyx with long bristles, smooth mottled nutlets.
Gander's cryptantha is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found in western Sonoran Desert (Borrego Valley area) in creosote-bush scrub at elevations of 140 to 250 meters. Flowering from January to May, this plant produces pale yellow flowers less than 2.5 millimeters in diameter with minute appendages. Growing 10 to 40 centimeters tall with spreading branches that are strigose and rough-hairy, it develops a distinctively stout habit with linear to narrow-lanceolate leaves bearing spreading bristles. Its leaves measure 1 to 4 centimeters long, with some bristles having bulbous bases that give the plant a distinctive textured appearance. The fruit consists of 1 or 2 shiny, lanceolate nutlets 2 to 2.5 millimeters long, generally mottled with a rounded margin and long-acuminate tip.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 16 co-occurring species. CNPS 1B.1. Key features: Borrego Valley endemic, large urn-shaped calyx with long bristles, smooth mottled nutlets.
Habitat and range
Habitat: Stabilized, +- silty, fine sand deposits, creosote-bush scrub
Elevation: 140-250 m
California counties: San Diego, Imperial
Outside California: southern Arizona, northwestern Mexico
Bloom period
Cryptantha ganderi blooms Jan-May.
Conservation status
CNPS 1B.1
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 ganderi native to California?
Yes. Cryptantha ganderi is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Cryptantha ganderi bloom?
Cryptantha ganderi blooms Jan-May.
Where in California does Cryptantha ganderi grow?
Cryptantha ganderi occurs in San Diego, Imperial, at elevations of 140-250 m.
What plant family does Cryptantha ganderi belong to?
Cryptantha ganderi is in the Boraginaceae family, genus Cryptantha.
Is Cryptantha ganderi rare or endangered?
Cryptantha ganderi carries California Rare Plant Rank 1B.1, state rank S1.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · 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.