Cryptantha crassisepala
(Thicksepal Cryptantha)
Cryptantha crassisepala, Four Mile Area, Chaffee Co. 9671
Cryptantha crassisepala, Four Mile Area, Chaffee Co. 9680
Cryptantha crassisepala, Four Mile Area, Chaffee Co. 9768
Cryptantha crassisepala, Four Mile Area, Chaffee Co. 9779
Cryptantha crassisepala, Four Mile Area, Chaffee Co. 9774
Cryptantha crassisepala, Four Mile Area, Chaffee Co. 9778
| Scientific Name | Cryptantha crassisepala | USDA PLANTS Symbol | CRCR3 |
| Common Name | Thicksepal Catseye, Thicksepal Cryptantha | ITIS Taxonomic Serial No. | 31800 |
| Family | Boraginaceae (Forget-me-not) | SEINet Reference |
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| Description |
Life zones and habitat: Plains and foothills (4000 to 7500 ft.); dry sandy or gravelly soils; dunes, slopes, grasslands. Plant: Short annual, 4 to 6 inches tall; several to many spreading stems with pungent bristles. Leaves: Very bristly leaves clustered at base and alternate on stems; sessile, linear to narrowly oblanceolate, up to 2 inches long and less than 1/4-inch wide near base, becoming smaller upward. Inflorescence: Very small white flowers, 1/8-inch across, in dense curled spikes (scorpioide cymes) surrounded by a calyx less than 0.1 inch long, of thick, bristly sepals with prominent ribs; blossoms have 5 rounded lobes; no bracts below cymes. Cymes open and elongate up to 6 inches long as plant matures. Bloom Period: April to June. References: "Flora of Colorado" by Jennifer Ackerfield, "Manual of the Vascular Plants of Texas" by Correll and Johnston and SEINet. |
BONAP Distribution Map Map Color Key |
Colorado Status: Native |
© Tom Lebsack 2024
Banner photo: Castilleja rhexifolia and a brewing storm over the San Juan Mountains