Oreocarya confertiflora
Yellow-flowered oreocarya, Yellow-Flowered Cryptantha
(c) Stan Shebs, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Boraginaceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Oreocarya confertiflora (Yellow-flowered oreocarya) is a native California subshrub in the Boraginaceae family, recognized by yellow flowers and tall stature diagnostic.
Yellow-flowered oreocarya is a California native perennial found in southern Sierra Nevada, San Bernardino Mountains, Sierra Nevada east of Sierra Nevada, and Desert Mountains in dry, rocky soils at elevations of 1,050 to 3,100 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces yellow flowers with a corolla limb 8 to 12 millimeters in diameter, forming dense, head-like clusters. Growing with multiple erect, gray-green stems 13 to 45 centimeters tall that are tomentose at the base and strigose with sparse bristles above, it develops a woody, branched caudex. Its numerous basal rosette leaves are 3 to 12 centimeters long, oblanceolate, gray-green, and densely covered with strigose hairs and bulbous-based bristles. The fruit consists of four smooth, gray, somewhat shiny nutlets 3.5 to 4 millimeters long with sharp-angled margins.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 6 sympatric species; yellow flowers and tall stature diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Common. Dry, rocky soils
Elevation: 1050-3100(3350) m
California counties: Inyo, San Bernardino, Mono, Tulare, Kern
Outside California: to northeastern Arizona, southwestern Utah
Bloom period
Oreocarya confertiflora blooms May-Jul.
How to tell it apart
vs Cryptantha: Cryptanthas are slender annuals with tiny inconspicuous white flowers; Oreocarya are stout perennials from a woody branched caudex with showier, densely clustered white or yellow flowers.; vs Hackelia: Stickseed nutlets bear hooked marginal prickles that cling to clothing; Oreocarya nutlets are smooth to roughened but lack hooked prickles.; vs Plagiobothrys: Popcornflowers are annuals of moist ground, often red-staining, in open coils; Oreocarya are harsh, bristly perennials forming cushions on dry rocky or desert sites.; vs Cynoglossum: Hound's-tongue is a tall, leafy-stemmed biennial with broad soft leaves and reddish-blue flowers; Oreocarya is low and cushion-like with narrow bristly leaves and white or yellow flowers.; vs Cryptantha: Beyond size, Oreocarya has persistent basal rosettes and a woody caudex, whereas Cryptantha germinates fresh each year with no woody base.
Frequently asked questions
Is Oreocarya confertiflora native to California?
Yes. Oreocarya confertiflora is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Oreocarya confertiflora bloom?
Oreocarya confertiflora blooms May-Jul.
Where in California does Oreocarya confertiflora grow?
Oreocarya confertiflora occurs in Inyo, San Bernardino, Mono, Tulare, Kern, at elevations of 1050-3100(3350) m.
What plant family does Oreocarya confertiflora belong to?
Oreocarya confertiflora is in the Boraginaceae family, genus Oreocarya.
What habitat does Oreocarya confertiflora grow in?
Oreocarya confertiflora grows in Common. Dry, rocky soils.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
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.