Cryptantha rostellata
Red-stemmed cryptantha, Red-Stemmed Cryptantha
(c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Boraginaceae · Type: Annual · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 4.2
Cryptantha rostellata (Red-stemmed cryptantha) is a native California annual in the Boraginaceae family, recognized by . Key features: red stems, stiff habit, hook-tipped calyx bristles, northern CA distribution.
Red-stemmed cryptantha is a California native annual found in northern California regions including North Coast Ranges Interior, northern Sierra Nevada Foothills, Sacramento Valley, and northwestern Modoc Plateau in open, rocky, dry sites, sparse grasslands, chaparral, and foothill woodlands at elevations of 40 to 800 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces pale yellow flowers in small cymes with a delicate 1 to 2 millimeters wide corolla. Growing with distinctive red stems 5 to 20 centimeters tall that are stiff and strigose, it develops few branches that can extend distally or throughout the plant. Its leaves are ascending, thick, and oblanceolate, forming several opposite pairs near the inflorescence, typically 1 to 1.5 centimeters long with spreading hairs. The fruit consists of a single shiny, lance-ovate nutlet 2.3 to 2.8 millimeters long with a flattened, rounded profile and wide-truncate base.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 24 sympatric species. Key features: red stems, stiff habit, hook-tipped calyx bristles, northern CA distribution
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open, rocky, dry sites, shallow-soiled volcanic flats, sparse grassland, chaparral, foothill woodland
Elevation: 40-800 m
Outside California: to eastern Washington
Bloom period
Cryptantha rostellata blooms Apr-Jun.
Conservation status
CNPS 4.2
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 rostellata native to California?
Yes. Cryptantha rostellata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Cryptantha rostellata bloom?
Cryptantha rostellata blooms Apr-Jun.
What plant family does Cryptantha rostellata belong to?
Cryptantha rostellata is in the Boraginaceae family, genus Cryptantha.
Is Cryptantha rostellata rare or endangered?
Cryptantha rostellata carries California Rare Plant Rank 4.2, state rank S3.
What habitat does Cryptantha rostellata grow in?
Cryptantha rostellata grows in Open, rocky, dry sites, shallow-soiled volcanic flats, sparse grassland, chaparral, foothill woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
Last updated 2026-10-06
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.