Cryptantha muricata var. muricata
Showy prickly-nut cryptantha
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Family: Boraginaceae · Type: Annual · Native
Cryptantha muricata var. muricata (Showy prickly-nut cryptantha) is a native California annual in the Boraginaceae family, recognized by showy flowers with yellow appendages and tubercled nutlets.
Showy prickly-nut cryptantha is a California native annual found in southern San Joaquin Valley, central western California, and southwestern California in gravelly and sandy soils of coastal scrub, chaparral, and foothill woodland at elevations of 25 to 2,130 meters. Flowering from March to July, this plant produces small white flowers with yellow appendages approximately 4 to 8 millimeters in diameter. Growing 10 to 60 centimeters tall with a single central stem and few to many long, laxly-ascending branches, it has a distinctively rough and dense-hairy appearance with soft and spreading hairs. Its leaves are densely covered in soft and spreading rough hairs, becoming reduced toward the stem's upper portions. The distinctive nutlets are 1.6 to 2.1 millimeters long, densely covered in coarse tubercles with a slightly convex back surface.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 29 sympatric species; showy flowers with yellow appendages and tubercled nutlets
Habitat and range
Habitat: Gravelly, sandy soils, generally granitic, coastal scrub, chaparral, foothill woodland, occasionally open conifer forest
Elevation: 25-2130 m
California counties: Los Angeles, Ventura, Riverside, Merced, Kern, Santa Barbara, Monterey, San Bernardino, Tulare, Tehama, San Diego, Orange, San Luis Obispo, Imperial, Santa Clara
Bloom period
Cryptantha muricata var. muricata blooms Mar-Jul.
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 var. muricata native to California?
Yes. Cryptantha muricata var. muricata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Cryptantha muricata var. muricata bloom?
Cryptantha muricata var. muricata blooms Mar-Jul.
Where in California does Cryptantha muricata var. muricata grow?
Cryptantha muricata var. muricata occurs in Los Angeles, Ventura, Riverside, Merced, Kern, Santa Barbara, Monterey, San Bernardino and other counties, at elevations of 25-2130 m.
What plant family does Cryptantha muricata var. muricata belong to?
Cryptantha muricata var. muricata is in the Boraginaceae family, genus Cryptantha.
What habitat does Cryptantha muricata var. muricata grow in?
Cryptantha muricata var. muricata grows in Gravelly, sandy soils, generally granitic, coastal scrub, chaparral, foothill woodland, occasionally open conifer forest.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-04-09
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.