Cryptantha crinita
Encyclopedia
Cryptantha crinita is a rare species of flowering plant in the borage family
known by the common names Sacramento cryptantha and silky cryptantha. It is endemic to California
in the United States, where it occurs in the northern Sacramento Valley
and the adjacent edges of the Cascade Range
foothills.
This annual herb grows up to 30 or 40 centimeters in height. The branching stem and leaves are covered in hairs. The lance-shaped to oblong leaves are 1 to 3 centimeters in length. The inflorescence
is a dense, coiled cyme of several flowers with soft-hairy sepal
s and white corollas. Blooming occurs in April and May.
This plant grows in riparian
habitat along ephemeral creeks in the northern Sacramento Valley. Recent observations indicate that it sometimes occurs in the foothills on the edges of the Cascade Mountains as well. This habitat is chaparral
and woodland on volcanic soils. The recent observations have extended the plant's known distribution and show that it grows at higher elevation
s than previously thought. It is still considered a rare species.
Threats to the survival of the species include gravel
mining, off-road vehicle
use, grazing, and development. Introduced species
of plants in the area are also a threat, including red brome
(Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens), yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis), and medusahead
(Taeniatherum caput-medusae).
Boraginaceae
Boraginaceae, the Borage or Forget-me-not family, include a variety of shrubs, trees, and herbs, totaling about 2,000 species in 146 genera found worldwide.A number of familiar plants belong to this family....
known by the common names Sacramento cryptantha and silky cryptantha. It is endemic to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the United States, where it occurs in the northern Sacramento Valley
Sacramento Valley
The Sacramento Valley is the portion of the California Central Valley that lies to the north of the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta in the U.S. state of California. It encompasses all or parts of ten counties.-Geography:...
and the adjacent edges of the Cascade Range
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
foothills.
This annual herb grows up to 30 or 40 centimeters in height. The branching stem and leaves are covered in hairs. The lance-shaped to oblong leaves are 1 to 3 centimeters in length. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a dense, coiled cyme of several flowers with soft-hairy sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s and white corollas. Blooming occurs in April and May.
This plant grows in riparian
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
habitat along ephemeral creeks in the northern Sacramento Valley. Recent observations indicate that it sometimes occurs in the foothills on the edges of the Cascade Mountains as well. This habitat is chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
and woodland on volcanic soils. The recent observations have extended the plant's known distribution and show that it grows at higher elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
s than previously thought. It is still considered a rare species.
Threats to the survival of the species include gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
mining, off-road vehicle
Off-road vehicle
An off-road vehicle is considered to be any type of vehicle which is capable of driving on and off paved or gravel surface. It is generally characterized by having large tires with deep, open treads, a flexible suspension, or even caterpillar tracks...
use, grazing, and development. Introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
of plants in the area are also a threat, including red brome
Bromus madritensis
Bromus madritensis is a species of brome grass known by the common name compact brome.It is native to Europe but it has been widely introduced elsewhere, such as North America, where it is found in many areas. It is now known nearly worldwide...
(Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens), yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis), and medusahead
Taeniatherum caput-medusae
Taeniatherum caput-medusae is a species of grass known by the common name medusahead. This aggressive winter annual grass is changing the ecology of western rangelands in North America. Forty-eight percent of the total land area of the United States is rangeland, pastureland, national parks, nature...
(Taeniatherum caput-medusae).