Cryptantha muricata
Pointed cryptantha
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Family: Boraginaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Cryptantha muricata (Pointed cryptantha) is a native California herb in the Boraginaceae family, recognized by . Key features: robust stature, wide distribution, sharp-angled nutlet margins.
Pointed cryptantha is a California native annual found in dry, open habitats at low to moderate elevations. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces small white flowers in delicate clusters with narrow, curved stems. Growing 10 to 100 centimeters tall, it develops a stout plant structure typically gray to yellow-green with an occasional red-purple root. Its leaves are narrow and linear, measuring 0.5 to 5 centimeters long, spreading along the stems in a sparse arrangement. The plant produces small nutlets that are ovate with sharp-angled margins, creating distinctive seed structures that aid in its identification.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 53 sympatric species. Key features: robust stature, wide distribution, sharp-angled nutlet margins
Habitat and range
California counties: Los Angeles, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, Mariposa, San Diego, San Bernardino, Monterey, Santa Barbara, Tuolumne, Orange, Kern, El Dorado, Ventura, Tulare, Mono, San Benito, Fresno, Colusa, Lake, Trinity, Alpine, Lassen, Glenn, Nevada, Alameda, Santa Clara, Napa, Marin, Sonoma, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus, Contra Costa, Inyo, Butte, Tehama, Yolo, Imperial, Sierra, Modoc
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 muricata native to California?
Yes. Cryptantha muricata is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Cryptantha muricata grow?
Cryptantha muricata occurs in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, Mariposa, San Diego, San Bernardino, Monterey, Santa Barbara and other counties.
What plant family does Cryptantha muricata belong to?
Cryptantha muricata is in the Boraginaceae family, genus Cryptantha.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Cryptantha muricata var. denticulata — Prickly-nut cryptantha
- Cryptantha muricata var. jonesii — Jones's cryptantha
- Cryptantha muricata var. muricata — Showy prickly-nut cryptantha
- Cryptantha nemaclada — Colusa cryptantha
- Cryptantha nevadensis — Nevada cryptantha
- Cryptantha oxygona — Sharp-nut cryptantha
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.