Cryptantha intermedia var. intermedia
Common cryptantha
Photo: parent species Cryptantha intermedia · Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Boraginaceae · Type: Annual · Native
Cryptantha intermedia var. intermedia (Common cryptantha) is a native California annual in the Boraginaceae family, recognized by . Key features: widespread distribution, mixed hair types, large corollas, granitic/serpentine preference.
Common cryptantha is a California native annual herb found in northwestern California (excluding North Coast), western Sierra Nevada, Sutter Buttes, central western California, and southwestern California in sandy to gravelly habitats including grasslands, chaparral, and foothill woodlands at elevations below 2,300 meters. Flowering from March to July, this plant produces small white flowers with a corolla limb 3 to 11 millimeters in diameter. Growing with several slender, laxly ascending branches covered in fine appressed hairs and spreading bristles, it reaches heights typical of annual wildflowers. Its leaves and stems are characterized by a mixture of fine appressed hairs and spreading bristly texture, creating a distinctive rough appearance. The fruit consists of 3 to 4 small nutlets, each 1.4 to 2.1 millimeters long, with a gray-brown surface often marked with mottled patterns.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 49 sympatric species. Key features: widespread distribution, mixed hair types, large corollas, granitic/serpentine preference
Habitat and range
Habitat: Sandy to gravelly flats, slopes, generally granitic or serpentine-based, grassland, chaparral, foothill woodland, occasionally open conifer forest
Elevation: < 2300 m
Outside California: to Arizona, Baja California
Bloom period
Cryptantha intermedia var. intermedia blooms Mar-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 intermedia var. intermedia native to California?
Yes. Cryptantha intermedia var. intermedia is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Cryptantha intermedia var. intermedia bloom?
Cryptantha intermedia var. intermedia blooms Mar-Jul.
What plant family does Cryptantha intermedia var. intermedia belong to?
Cryptantha intermedia var. intermedia is in the Boraginaceae family, genus Cryptantha.
What habitat does Cryptantha intermedia var. intermedia grow in?
Cryptantha intermedia var. intermedia grows in Sandy to gravelly flats, slopes, generally granitic or serpentine-based, grassland, chaparral, foothill woodland, occasionally open conifer forest.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-09-30
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.