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Weber separates the Oreocarya
genus from the Cryptantha genus as follows, but not all botanists
agree with his division:
Oreocarya: "Biennial or perennial from rosettes of basal leaves; flowers more than 5 mm in diameter, often distinctly long-tubular with prominent yellow eye." Cryptantha: "Annual without rosettes of basal leaves; flowers minute, less than 5 mm diameter, short-tubed with inconspicuous eye." "Cryptantha" is Greek for "hidden flower" and probably refers to the very small size of the flower. See Oreocarya. |
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Cryptantha
crassisepala (Cryptantha) Boraginaceae (Forget-Me-Not Family) Semi-desert. Sandy
areas, openings. Spring. This little guy can dot large areas of sand and Mancos Shale with hundreds of plants. It has numerous stems, each producing numerous, tiny, white flowers. John Torrey and Asa Gray named this plant Eritrichium crassisepalum in 1857 and Edward Greene renamed it Cryptantha crassisepala in 1887. "Crass" is Latin for thick. |
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Cryptantha
crassisepala (Cryptantha) Boraginaceae (Forget-Me-Not Family) Semi-desert. Sandy
areas, openings. Spring. |
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Cryptantha minima (Cryptantha) Boraginaceae (Forget-Me-Not Family) Semi-desert.
Shrublands, woodlands, openings. Spring. Tiny plants can give great pleasures.
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Cryptantha
pterocarya (Cryptantha) Boraginaceae (Forget-Me-Not Family) Semi-desert.
Shrublands, woodlands, openings. Spring. This slender Cryptantha is common in Pinyon/Juniper woodlands, but is so hard to spot. Its ball-like flower cluster does not elongate in the typical coil of other Cryptantha/Oreocarya plants. The plant has few stem leaves and basal leaves fade as flowers open. "Pterocarya" is Greek for "winged nut" and you can see both the nut and the wings developing in the picture below. |
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Cryptantha
pterocarya (Cryptantha) Boraginaceae (Forget-Me-Not Family) Semi-desert.
Shrublands, woodlands, openings. Spring. The sharp-sided nutlets develop quickly. |