Cryptantha hooveri

Hoover's cryptantha

Family: Boraginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1A

Hoover's cryptantha is a rare (CNPS 1A) California native annual found in north and central San Joaquin Valley grasslands on dry, coarse sandy flats and hills at elevations below 110 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces small white flowers in tightly clustered, head-like cymes with thread-like bracts scattered throughout. Growing 5 to 15 centimeters tall with erect stems that are dense-strigose and occasionally branching at the base, it has a distinctive appearance in grassland habitats. Its numerous leaves are linear to narrow spoon-shaped, 1 to 2.5 centimeters long, typically folded or inrolled and covered with strigose hairs that have bulbous bases. The fruit consists of 3 or 4 gray or tan nutlets, each 1.2 to 1.5 millimeters long, with a wide-ovate shape and a shiny, fine-papillate surface.

Habitat: Dry, coarse sand, flats and hills, grasslands

Bloom period: (Mar)Apr-May

Elevation: < 110 m

Bioregions: n&ampc SnJV.

California counties: Merced, Madera, Stanislaus, Contra Costa, San Joaquin

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