Cryptantha intermedia var. johnstonii

Johnston's cryptantha

Family: Boraginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Johnston's cryptantha is a California native annual found in coastal California bioregions including Central Coast, Southern California Coastal, Western Transverse Ranges, and Peninsular Ranges in dunes, chaparral, and coastal sage scrub at elevations of 5 to 1,000 meters. Flowering from March to July, this plant produces small white flowers in delicate, branching clusters. Growing with a single main stem and laxly ascending branches 10 to 30 centimeters tall, it is densely covered in soft, spreading bristly hairs. Its leaves are narrow and covered with soft, appressed hairs, creating a slightly textured appearance characteristic of cryptantha species. The fruit consists of 3 to 4 small nutlets nestled in a lance-ovoid calyx with bristly margins.

Habitat: Dunes, chaparral, coastal sage scrub; sandy, clay, or granitic-derived soil

Bloom period: Mar-Jul

Elevation: 5-1000 m

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