Cryptantha hispidissima

Bristly cryptantha

Family: Boraginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Bristly cryptantha is a California native annual found in sandy or rocky soils of coastal scrub, chaparral, and foothill woodland at elevations of 5 to 1,370 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces small white flowers with yellow appendages in compact clusters. Growing 10 to 60 centimeters tall with branched stems that are spreading and covered in soft bristles, it forms an intricate and textured plant structure. Its linear to oblanceolate leaves are scattered along the stem, covered in fine appressed bristles that give the plant a distinctively hairy appearance. The fruit consists of generally four nutlets that are lance-ovate, slightly mottled, and approximately 1.5 to 2 millimeters long.

Habitat: Common; sandy or rocky soils, chaparral, coastal scrub, foothill woodland

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: 5-1370 m

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