Cryptantha kinkiensis
San clemente island upland cryptantha
(c) Sula Vanderplank, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Boraginaceae · Type: Annual · Native
Cryptantha kinkiensis (San clemente island upland cryptantha) is a native California annual in the Boraginaceae family.
San clemente island upland cryptantha is a California native annual found on San Clemente Island in island scrub and grassland vegetation at elevations of 50 to 600 meters. Flowering from March to May, this delicate plant produces white to yellow flowers with a corolla limb 4 to 7 millimeters in diameter. Growing with multiple branching stems 10 to 35 centimeters tall, the plant is characterized by sparse appressed and spreading short rough hairs. Its leaves are 1.5 to 2 centimeters long, lanceolate to linear, with adaxial surfaces covered in minutely bulbous-based appressed hairs and abaxial surfaces coarse-bristly. The fruit consists of generally four nutlets, lance-ovate and brown, with papillate and finely-tubercled surfaces.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated - island endemic at higher elevations
Habitat and range
Habitat: Flats and clayey slopes, island scrub and grassland vegetation, mostly at higher elevations (> 200 m) throughout much of the island
Elevation: 50-600 m
Bloom period
Cryptantha kinkiensis blooms Mar-May.
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 kinkiensis native to California?
Yes. Cryptantha kinkiensis is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Cryptantha kinkiensis bloom?
Cryptantha kinkiensis blooms Mar-May.
What plant family does Cryptantha kinkiensis belong to?
Cryptantha kinkiensis is in the Boraginaceae family, genus Cryptantha.
What habitat does Cryptantha kinkiensis grow in?
Cryptantha kinkiensis grows in Flats and clayey slopes, island scrub and grassland vegetation, mostly at higher elevations (> 200 m) throughout much of the island.
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.