Cryptantha intermedia
Clearwater cryptantha
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Boraginaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Cryptantha intermedia (Clearwater cryptantha) is a native California herb in the Boraginaceae family.
Clearwater cryptantha is a California native annual herb found in various bioregions in dry, open habitats at moderate elevations. Flowering from spring to summer, this plant produces small white flowers with yellow appendages in compact clusters. Growing 10 to 60 centimeters tall with one to several stems that are stiff and variable in branching, the cryptantha has an erect habit with fine spreading or appressed bristles. Its leaves are linear to lanceolate, 1.5 to 5 centimeters long, with acute tips and bristly margins that give the plant a somewhat rough texture. The fruit consists of four nutlets that are lanceolate to ovate, with a finely textured surface and rounded margins.
Habitat and range
California counties: San Luis Obispo, San Diego, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Butte, Tehama, Mariposa, Santa Barbara, Modoc, Siskiyou, Monterey, Trinity, Orange, Ventura, Sutter, Imperial, Kern, San Benito, Sonoma, Napa, Colusa, Lake, Madera, Tulare, Inyo, El Dorado, Shasta, Placer, San Mateo, Nevada, Fresno, Merced, Plumas, Lassen, Glenn, San Joaquin, Tuolumne, Humboldt, Stanislaus, Amador, Alameda, Calaveras, Mendocino, Sierra, Del Norte, Mono, Contra Costa, Alpine
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 intermedia native to California?
Yes. Cryptantha intermedia is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Cryptantha intermedia grow?
Cryptantha intermedia occurs in San Luis Obispo, San Diego, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Butte, Tehama, Mariposa and other counties.
What plant family does Cryptantha intermedia belong to?
Cryptantha intermedia is in the Boraginaceae family, genus Cryptantha.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Cryptantha intermedia var. intermedia — Common cryptantha
- Cryptantha intermedia var. johnstonii — Johnston's cryptantha
- Cryptantha juniperensis — Rigid cryptantha
- Cryptantha kinkiensis — San clemente island upland cryptantha
- Cryptantha leiocarpa — Beach cryptantha
- Cryptantha mariposae — Mariposa cryptantha
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.