Cryptantha torreyana
Torrey's cryptantha
(c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Boraginaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Cryptantha torreyana (Torrey's cryptantha) is a native California herb in the Boraginaceae family.
Torrey's cryptantha is a California native annual herb found in [bioregion needed] in [habitat details needed] at elevations of [elevation range needed]. Flowering from [specific months not provided], this plant produces white flowers less than 2 millimeters in diameter. Growing with branched stems 5 to 40 centimeters tall, it develops erect or spreading plant structures. Its leaves are linear to oblanceolate, 2 to 5 centimeters long, covered with strigose or bristly hairs that are roughly ascending. The fruit consists of 3 or 4 wide-ovate nutlets that are mottled gray and brown, smooth and shiny with rounded margins.
Habitat and range
California counties: Nevada, El Dorado, Plumas, Mono, Ventura, Trinity, Tuolumne, Siskiyou, Tehama, Modoc, Fresno, Tulare, Alpine, Lake, Lassen, Humboldt, Placer, Mendocino, Kern, Shasta, Colusa, Amador, Inyo, Sierra, Butte, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Glenn, Mariposa, Calaveras, Contra Costa, Sonoma, Alameda, Riverside, Marin, Napa, San Benito, Del Norte, Madera, Monterey
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 torreyana native to California?
Yes. Cryptantha torreyana is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Cryptantha torreyana grow?
Cryptantha torreyana occurs in Nevada, El Dorado, Plumas, Mono, Ventura, Trinity, Tuolumne, Siskiyou and other counties.
What plant family does Cryptantha torreyana belong to?
Cryptantha torreyana is in the Boraginaceae family, genus Cryptantha.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
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.