Cryptantha oxygona
Sharp-nut cryptantha
(c) Steve Matson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Boraginaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Cryptantha oxygona (Sharp-nut cryptantha) is a native California herb in the Boraginaceae family, recognized by . Key features: fragrant flowers, prominent yellow appendages, winged nutlet margins.
Sharp-nut cryptantha is a California native annual found in central and southern California mountain ranges, including the Sierra Nevada, Tehachapi, San Joaquin Valley, and Mojave Desert, in open gravelly sites and woodland areas at elevations of 200 to 2,450 meters. Flowering from March to July, this plant produces small yellow-centered white flowers with prominent yellow appendages, typically 4 to 9 millimeters in diameter. Growing with slender stems 10 to 45 centimeters tall, it has distinctive strigose branches with bulbous-based hairs that create a rough texture. Its leaves are narrow, measuring 0.5 to 3 centimeters long, with fine appressed to ascending hairs and an oblanceolate to linear shape. The fruit consists of four shiny, gray or mottled nutlets with white tubercles, each about 2 millimeters long and featuring a flat narrow wing that is wider near the tip.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 49 sympatric species. Key features: fragrant flowers, prominent yellow appendages, winged nutlet margins
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open, gravelly sites, slopes, washes, generally foothill woodland to pinyon/juniper woodland or sparse conifer forest, occasionally desert
Elevation: 200-2450 m
California counties: Los Angeles, Kern, San Bernardino, Ventura, Fresno, Inyo, Mono, Merced, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, Tuolumne, Madera, Alameda, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Monterey
Outside California: west-central Nevada, west-central Arizona
Bloom period
Cryptantha oxygona 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 oxygona native to California?
Yes. Cryptantha oxygona is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Cryptantha oxygona bloom?
Cryptantha oxygona blooms Mar-Jul.
Where in California does Cryptantha oxygona grow?
Cryptantha oxygona occurs in Los Angeles, Kern, San Bernardino, Ventura, Fresno, Inyo, Mono, Merced and other counties, at elevations of 200-2450 m.
What plant family does Cryptantha oxygona belong to?
Cryptantha oxygona is in the Boraginaceae family, genus Cryptantha.
What habitat does Cryptantha oxygona grow in?
Cryptantha oxygona grows in Open, gravelly sites, slopes, washes, generally foothill woodland to pinyon/juniper woodland or sparse conifer forest, occasionally desert.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Cryptantha pterocarya — Winged nut forget me not
- Cryptantha pterocarya var. pterocarya — Winged-nut cryptantha
- Cryptantha pterocarya var. purpusii — Purpus' cryptantha
- Cryptantha pterocarya var. stenoloba — Narrow-lobed cryptantha
- Cryptantha rattanii — Rattan's cryptantha
- Cryptantha recurvata — Curved-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.