Cryptantha maritima var. maritima

Guadalupe cryptantha

Family: Boraginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Guadalupe cryptantha is a California native annual found in desert regions on sandy to gravelly soils in washes, canyons, and stream beds at elevations below 1,350 meters. Flowering from February to May, this plant produces white flowers with delicate, appressed hairs along the calyx margins. Growing with slender stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall, it forms small, sparse clusters in open desert landscapes. Its narrow leaves are arranged alternately along the stem, typically linear to lance-shaped and covered in fine, soft hairs. The plant's calyx lobes feature distinctive coarse, stout bristles that spread horizontally or reflexed, giving it a textured appearance in its arid habitat.

Habitat: Common, widespread in desert washes, canyons, alluvial slopes, stream beds; sandy to gravelly soils

Bloom period: Feb-May

Elevation: < 1350 m

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