Cryptantha spithamaea

Tuolumne cryptantha

Family: Boraginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3

Tuolumne cryptantha is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) California native annual found in northern and central Sierra Nevada Foothills in open, semi-barren sites, gravelly slopes, and serpentine habitats at elevations of 270 to 760 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces tiny white flowers with yellow appendages in small clusters. Growing with ascending branches 8 to 20 centimeters tall, it has densely soft, appressed hairy stems that create a delicate, bristly appearance. Its linear to oblong leaves range from 0.8 to 2.5 centimeters long, occasionally with ascending or spreading bristles that can have bulbous bases. The fruit consists of smooth, shiny nutlets 1.6 to 2 millimeters long, with a distinctive triangular gap at the base.

Habitat: Open, semi-barren sites, gravelly slopes, ephemeral creek beds, serpentine endemic, chaparral, foothill woodland

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: 270-760 m

Bioregions: n&ampc SNF.

California counties: Mariposa, Tuolumne

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