logo Calflora, a 501c3 non-profit
Taxon  Report  
Cryptantha scoparia  A. Nelson
Gray cryptantha,   Pinyon desert cryptantha
Cryptantha scoparia is an annual herb that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in western North America.
California Rare Plant Rank: 4.3 (limited distribution).
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
Observation Search
~49 records in California
yellowone or more occurrences
within a 7.5-minute quadrangle
DJJJASONAFMM

Bloom Period
Genus: Cryptantha
Family: Boraginaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Communities: Sagebrush Scrub, Northern Juniper Woodland, Pinyon-Juniper Woodland
Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + CNPS + PLANTS + POWO
Information about  Cryptantha scoparia from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
Commercial availability unknown.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (CRSC2)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[oregonflora.org] Identification Tip: Cryptantha scoparia can be readily identified by its nutlet morphology, the four nutlets per fruit having a distinctive tuberculate-spinulose sculpturing, the spinules ascending and sharp-tipped. (link added 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]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 05/18/2025).