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Taxon  Report  
Cryptantha muricata  (Hook. & Arn.) A. Nelson & J. F. Macbr.
Pointed cryptantha,   Prickly cryptantha,   Prickly popcorn flower
Cryptantha muricata is an annual herb that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in western North America.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
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Bloom Period
Subspecies and Varieties:
Genus: Cryptantha
Family: Boraginaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Habitat: slopes

Communities: Yellow Pine Forest, Red Fir Forest, Lodgepole Forest, Subalpine Forest, Foothill Woodland, Chaparral, Valley Grassland, many plant communities

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + PLANTS

Information about  Cryptantha muricata from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (CRMU2)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Description: Cryptantha muricata is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name pointed cryptantha. It is native to California and adjacent parts of Arizona, Baja California, and Nevada, where it is known from many habitat types. It is an annual herb producing a branching 10 centimeters to one meter in height which is coated densely in rough and soft hairs. The leaves are linear in shape and no more than 4 centimeters long. They have hairs and bristles, some of which have bulbous bases. The inflorescence is a length of very hairy developing fruits tipped with a cluster of small five-lobed white flowers. (contributed by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 04/24/2024).