Johnstonella holoptera
Winged johnstonella, Winged Cryptantha
(c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Boraginaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 4.3
Johnstonella holoptera (Winged johnstonella) is a native California herb in the Boraginaceae family, recognized by tallest stature and winged seeds diagnostic.
Winged johnstonella is a California native annual herb found in eastern Mojave Desert and Sonoran Desert regions in gravelly and rocky habitats at elevations of 50 to 1,220 meters. Flowering from January to May, this plant produces yellow-appendaged white flowers in small raceme-like clusters with flat corolla limbs approximately 2 to 3 millimeters in diameter. Growing 10 to 60 centimeters tall with an erect central stem branching throughout, it has a coarse structure occasionally woody at the base and covered in spreading strigose bristles. Its leaves range from 3 to 6 centimeters long, with basal and lower cauline leaves being elliptic to lanceolate and short-petioled, while upper leaves are sessile and sparse-bristly. The distinctive fruit consists of four nutlets with pale tubercles and a flat to wide non-papery wing margin, each nutlet 1.8 to 2.5 millimeters long.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 4 sympatric species; tallest stature and winged seeds diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Gravelly to rocky soils, washes, slopes, ridges
Elevation: 50-1220 m
California counties: Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Kern
Outside California: western Nevada, western Arizona, northern Mexico
Bloom period
Johnstonella holoptera blooms Jan-May.
Conservation status
CNPS 4.3
Frequently asked questions
Is Johnstonella holoptera native to California?
Yes. Johnstonella holoptera is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Johnstonella holoptera bloom?
Johnstonella holoptera blooms Jan-May.
Where in California does Johnstonella holoptera grow?
Johnstonella holoptera occurs in Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Kern, at elevations of 50-1220 m.
What plant family does Johnstonella holoptera belong to?
Johnstonella holoptera is in the Boraginaceae family, genus Johnstonella.
Is Johnstonella holoptera rare or endangered?
Johnstonella holoptera carries California Rare Plant Rank 4.3, state rank S4.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
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.