Cryptantha torreyana var. pumila

Dwarf cryptantha

Family: Boraginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Dwarf cryptantha is a California native annual found in northern central western California (excluding the central coast) in chaparral and foothill woodland at elevations of 150 to 1,280 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces white flowers with small, delicate petals. Growing 5 to 20 centimeters tall with sparse strigose stems that are dense and rough-hairy, it has a bristly, spreading growth habit. Its leaves are sparse and covered with stiff, spreading hairs, creating a textured appearance across the plant. The small nutlets are 1.3 to 1.5 millimeters long, with a style extending half to two-thirds the length of the fruit.

Habitat: Generally chaparral, foothill woodland

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: 150-1280 m

Bioregions: n CW (exc CCo).

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