Cryptantha wigginsii

Wiggins's cryptantha

Family: Boraginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Wiggins's cryptantha is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native annual found in coastal sage and maritime sage scrub, typically on semibarren clay slopes at elevations of 0 to 300 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces small white flowers with yellow appendages in delicate clusters. Growing with multiple branching stems 10 to 40 centimeters tall, covered in sparse appressed and spreading short rough hairs, the plant has a distinctive sparse and bristly appearance. Its linear to narrowly oblanceolate leaves, 1 to 4 centimeters long, are densely covered with appressed hairs and short bulbous-based bristles on both surfaces. Its small dark brown to gray nutlets are uniquely marked with a shiny proximal half and a densely wart-like tubercled distal half, creating an intricate textural surface.

Habitat: Semibarren clay slopes, less commonly silty or occasionally silty-sand soil, coastal sage or maritime sage scrub

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: 0-300 m

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