Cryptantha micromeres

Minute-flowered cryptantha

Family: Boraginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Minute-flowered cryptantha is a California native annual found in northern and central Sierra Nevada Foothills, central western California, and southwestern regions in open sites, disturbed areas, and chaparral woodland at elevations below 1,350 meters. Flowering from March to July, this delicate plant produces tiny white flowers less than one millimeter in diameter. Growing with slender branching stems 5 to 50 centimeters tall, covered in short spreading hairs that give the plant a rough texture. Its basal rosette leaves are linear to oblong, 1 to 4.5 centimeters long, with sparse bristly hairs and bulbous-based leaf structures. The fruit consists of four distinctive nutlets, with one slightly larger nutlet that is generally smooth and three smaller white-papillate tubercled nutlets.

Habitat: Open sites, disturbed, coarse soils, chaparral, woodland, burns

Bloom period: Mar-Jul

Elevation: < 1350 m

Bioregions: n&ampc SNF, CW (exc SCoRI), SW

California counties: Monterey, Santa Clara, San Diego, Riverside, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, Tulare, Ventura, San Mateo, San Bernardino, Amador, Marin, Alameda, Contra Costa, Mariposa, Tuolumne, Calaveras, San Luis Obispo, Alpine

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