Cryptantha torreyana var. torreyana
Northern cryptantha
Photo: parent species Cryptantha torreyana · (c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Boraginaceae · Type: Annual · Native
Cryptantha torreyana var. torreyana (Northern cryptantha) is a native California annual in the Boraginaceae family, recognized by size and smooth mottled seeds key.
Northern cryptantha is a California native annual found in northwestern California (excluding North Coast), the Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, and Great Basin in slopes, disturbed soils, conifer forest, and occasionally chaparral or woodland at elevations of 100 to 2,650 meters. Flowering from April to August, this plant produces small white flowers in clusters with delicate, narrow petals. Growing 15 to 40 centimeters tall with stems covered in dense strigose and sparse spreading rough hairs, it has a slender, upright form. Its leaves are narrow and elongated, with a textured surface that contributes to the plant's distinctive rough appearance. The fruit consists of small nutlets 1.7 to 2.2 millimeters long, with a style extending two-thirds to the full length of the nutlet.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 44 sympatric species - size and smooth mottled seeds key
Habitat and range
Habitat: Slopes, disturbed soils, generally conifer forest, occasionally chaparral, woodland
Elevation: 100-2650 m
Outside California: to southern Alaska, Montana, Colorado
Bloom period
Cryptantha torreyana var. torreyana blooms Apr-Aug.
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 var. torreyana native to California?
Yes. Cryptantha torreyana var. torreyana is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Cryptantha torreyana var. torreyana bloom?
Cryptantha torreyana var. torreyana blooms Apr-Aug.
What plant family does Cryptantha torreyana var. torreyana belong to?
Cryptantha torreyana var. torreyana is in the Boraginaceae family, genus Cryptantha.
What habitat does Cryptantha torreyana var. torreyana grow in?
Cryptantha torreyana var. torreyana grows in Slopes, disturbed soils, generally conifer forest, occasionally chaparral, woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-09-30
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.