Cryptantha watsonii
Watson's cryptantha
(c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Boraginaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Cryptantha watsonii (Watson's cryptantha) is a native California herb in the Boraginaceae family, recognized by knife-rimmed nutlets diagnostic.
Watson's cryptantha is a California native annual found in the eastern Sierra Nevada and Great Basin in rocky, gravelly soils of sagebrush scrub and pinyon/juniper woodland at elevations of 1,250 to 3,100 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces pale yellow to white flowers in small, dense clusters with delicate petals. Growing with slender stems 10 to 35 centimeters tall, it has thin branches with strigose and short rough hairs spreading throughout. Its leaves are linear to oblanceolate, 0.5 to 4 centimeters long, with short bulbous-based bristles on the underside and densely strigose surfaces. The fruit consists of four nutlets, 1.4 to 2 millimeters long, with smooth, shiny gray surfaces and a distinctive flat knife-like margin.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 31 sympatric species - knife-rimmed nutlets diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Rocky, gravelly soils, sagebrush scrub, pinyon/juniper woodland, occasionally conifer forest
Elevation: 1250-3100(3300) m
California counties: Alpine, Mono, Lassen, Inyo, Tulare, Calaveras, Modoc, Plumas, Madera, Fresno, Butte, San Bernardino, Placer
Outside California: to Washington, Montana, Colorado
Bloom period
Cryptantha watsonii blooms May-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 watsonii native to California?
Yes. Cryptantha watsonii is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Cryptantha watsonii bloom?
Cryptantha watsonii blooms May-Aug.
Where in California does Cryptantha watsonii grow?
Cryptantha watsonii occurs in Alpine, Mono, Lassen, Inyo, Tulare, Calaveras, Modoc, Plumas and other counties, at elevations of 1250-3100(3300) m.
What plant family does Cryptantha watsonii belong to?
Cryptantha watsonii is in the Boraginaceae family, genus Cryptantha.
What habitat does Cryptantha watsonii grow in?
Cryptantha watsonii grows in Rocky, gravelly soils, sagebrush scrub, pinyon/juniper woodland, occasionally conifer forest.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Cryptantha wigginsii — Wiggins's cryptantha
- Cryptantha affinis — Side-grooved cryptantha
- Cryptantha ambigua — Wilkes's cryptantha
- Cryptantha barbigera — Bearded cryptantha
- Cryptantha barbigera var. barbigera — Bearded cryptantha
- Cryptantha barbigera var. fergusoniae — Palm springs cryptantha
- Cynoglossum officinale — Common hound's tongue
- Cynoglossum sp. — Hound's tongue
- Echium candicans — Pride of madeira
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.