Oreocarya crymophila

Subalpine oreocarya

Family: Boraginaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3

Subalpine oreocarya is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) California native perennial found in northern and central Sierra Nevada Alpine areas of Tuolumne County in rocky volcanic semi-barren soils at elevations of 2,600 to 3,200 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces white to off-white flowers with yellow appendages in dense clusters, with blossoms 4 to 7 millimeters in diameter. Growing with multiple leafy stems 13 to 40 centimeters tall, it forms tufted clusters with a woody, branched caudex and sharp-bristly stems. Its basal leaves are oblanceolate to acute-oblong, 4 to 10 centimeters long, with strigose upper surfaces and sharp, bulbous-based bristles underneath. The fruit consists of generally four nutlets 4.5 to 5.5 millimeters long, brown and slightly elliptical with narrow wing-like margins.

Habitat: Rocky volcanic semi-barren soils, scree

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: 2600-3200 m

Bioregions: n&ampc SNH (Alpine, Tuolumne cos.).

California counties: Alpine, Tuolumne, Mono

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