Species of Cryptantha are often referred to as white "forget-me-nots," although some people call them "popcorn flowers." I think the latter common name is best applied to members of the closely related genus Plagiobothrys. Both genera have white flowers in tight coiled clusters called scorpioid cymes. In my humble opinion, the flower clusters of Plagiobothrys look a little more like popped grains of corn, technically referred to as exploded endosperm. This is particularly true of spreading, low-growing varieties of P. collinus, appropriately named California popcorn flower. From a distance, the white flower clusters do resemble popcorn scattered on grassland and open ground in coastal sage scrub. In spite of what you might have heard, I must say that the popcorn analogy is not a good way to separate white forget-me-nots from popcorn flowers. Left: The colorful blister beetle (Lytta magister) feeding on a desert Cryptantha (probably C. angustifolia).

To accurately separate the genus Cryptantha from Plagiobothrys you must carefully examine the nutlets to see if they have a keel (ridge) above the elevated attachment scar or a distinct groove above the recessed attachment scar. One to four nutlets are enclosed within five calyx lobes covered by glistening hairs (trichomes). Depending on the species, the nutlets range in size from 0.5 to several millimeters. This requires a good 10x or 20x hand lens or a dissecting microscope.

Alkannin: A Naphthoquinone from species in the Boraginaceae, incl. Plagiobothrys & Alkanna.

I once told my students that cryptanthas are more densely covered in hairs than Plagiobothrys, but that statement doesn't necessarily hold true. Stems and leaves of Plagiobothrys nothovulvus and our local P. arizonicus contain a reddish dye that rubs off on your fingers; however, our common desert annual Cryptantha micrantha (purple-rooted forget-me-not) also gives off this reddish dye. Several members of the Boraginaceae are known for this deep red phenolic dye called alkannin (also spelled alkanet), including dyer's bugloss (Alkanna tinctoria). It was used to dye textiles, and as a coloring for vegetable oils, medicines and wine, and is commonly used today as a food coloring. In addition, it reportedly has wound healing and anti-inflammatory properties. The term "bugloss" applies to several species in the Boraginaceae with blue flowers and hairy foliage. It is derived from a Greek word meaning ox-tongue in reference to the rough, hairy leaves.

There are other annuals in the Boraginaceae, such as Pectocarya and Harpagonella with minute white flowers in scorpioid cymes; however, they have very distinctive fruits (nutlets) that are much different from Cryptantha and Plagiobothrys. White or blue-flowered "forget-me-nots" (Myosotis) resemble Cryptantha, but they are not native to San Diego County.

The "stickseeds" (Hackelia and Lappula) also occur outside San Diego county. They have nutlets with barbed prickles, thus making them very effective hitchhikers. In fact, I gave Hackelia floribunda a rating of 4 Sock Removal Difficulty Units (SRDUs) on my Wayne's Word Top 17 Hitchhiking Plants. I once camped on the western slope of the Panamint Range, Inyo County on a very cold winter night. I was finally forced to climb out of my camper shell at midnight and put on long underwear. Unfortunately, I stood in a patch of stickseed (probably Lappula redowskii) during this clothing transfer resulting in one of the most miserable nights I ever spent in my entire life. Ironically, I was on a quest for another serious hitchhiker, the pink-flowered Arizona devil's claw (Proboscidea parviflora), reportedly introduced high in the Panamint Range in the late 1800s by the legendary Shoshone named Hungry Bill.

As I stated above, to identify a species of Cryptantha you must observe the nutlets. They can still be green, but they must be mature enough to show minute outer bumps called tubercles. Assuming you have eliminated all other genera in the borage family, here are some of the questions presented to you in taxonomic keys in Munz and the Jepson Manual: Do you have 1, 2 or 4 nutlets? Are your nutlets roughened by minute tubercles or are they smooth and shiny? Are all of your nutlets the same (homomorphic) or do you have dissimilar nutlets (heteromorphic)? Are the margins of your nutlets winged of knifelike with thin edge, or are they rounded? Is the shape of your nutlets triangular-ovate or oblong-lanceolate? There are other questions about the style length related to nutlets, size of flowers (diameter of corolla limb) and details of the glistening hairs (trichomes) on the calyx. For example, if you spot a Cryptantha in Coyote Creek with a large calyx 10 mm in length, long trichomes with bulbous bases, and one shiny, smooth nutlet it is undoubtedly the rare and endangered C. ganderi, named after the famous San Diego naturalist Frank Gander. Another similar-appearing species in Coyote Creek C. barbigera typically has four tubercled nutlets. Mike Simpson's Cryptantha page at SDSU has marvelous images of all 22 species native to San Diego County. Tom Chester has prepared on nice key to Cryptanthas of Anza-Borrego arranged in an easy to follow table. I have included the following images to show the variation in flower size and nutlets of several species. For more species, see the table at the bottom of this page.

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The comb burs (Pectocarya) are common in the Anza-Borrego Desert. Like Cryptantha and Plagiobothrys, they have minute white flowers; however, the nutlets are very different. The four spreading (divergent) nutlets have the shape of a tiny X. Each nutlet is fringed with minute prickles (hairs) along the margins. If you spot a small annual in a sandy wash with tiny X-shaped structures along its stem, it is most certainly a Pectocarya. In order to identify the species, you must have a mature nutlet. The coastal gabbro endemic called grappling hook (Harpagonella palmeri) has a very unique fruit with barbed projections radiating out in all directions. It has a rating of 10 Sock Removal Difficulty Units (SRDUs), surpassed only by the ultimate hitchhiker from Madagascar (Uncarina grandidieri). The latter species belongs to the sesame family (Pedaliaceae) along with our devil's claws (Proboscidea).

As I have stated previously on this page, whether this wildflower genus is placed in the families Boraginaceae or Hydrophyllaceae depends on which flora you are using. Jepson eFlora places it in the Hydrophyllaceae with many other genera of wildflowers & shrubs in California. World Flora Online places it in the Boraginaceae. Obviously both families are closely related according to DNA cladograms (phylogenetic trees). In fact, some references consider the Hydrophyllaceae a subfamily Hydrophylloidiae within the Boraginaceae. Therefore, many species in the Palomar College Arboretum & local hills of coastal sage scrub could fall into the latter subfamily, including Emmenanthe, Eriodictyon, Eucrypta, Nemophila, Phacelia, Pholistoma, and Wigandia.

Additional members of the traditional Boraginaceae in the Anza-Borrego Desert region of San Diego County include yellow fiddlenecks (Amsinckia), the coldenias (Tiquilia formerly placed in the Ehretiaceae) and Heliotropium (formerly placed in the Heliotropaceae). In the new Jepson Manual II (2012), the amazing root parasites (Pholisma) and the numerous wildflowers in the phacelia family (Hydrophyllaceae) are included in the Boraginaceae, making this one of largest and most diverse plant families in southern California; however, this is all changed again in the online Jepson eFlora (accessed April 2024). I am still including the root parasites Pholisma on this page because they are so truly fascinating! Note: Many genera additions to the Boraginaceae based on DNA cladistics in the 2012 Jepson Flora are still included in World Flora Online (WFO).

In addition, there are tropical trees in this family with beautiful, dark-grained wood. In fact, flowering trees of the genus Cordia are commonly seen in the Hawaiian Islands, southern Florida and the Caribbean. Although the name is pronounced the same, the type genus Borago is not derived from the Spanish word for bighorn sheep (borrego). Borago officinalis is an ancient European herb possibly originating in Syria and naturalized in San Diego County. It can be seen at the Herb Garden at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and San Diego Botanical Garden in Encinitas. The fresh leaves and blue flowers are eaten in salads and a nutritious oil is obtained from the seeds. Soothing medicinal teas are also made from the flowers of Borago and the closely related Echium in Iran, Pakistan and India.

Pride of Madeira (Echium fastuosum = E. candicans), another striking shrub native to the Canary Islands. The borage family (Boraginaceae) includes many species of wildflowers in California, including white forget-me-nots (Cryptantha and Plagiobothrys) and yellow fiddlenecks (Amsinckia). Some of these occur in the Arboretum and adjacent coastal sage scrub after spring rains. The family also includes a beautiful hardwood tree that is native to the Caribbean Islands (Cordia).

Dense, glistening trichomes adorn the inflorescence of Wigandia urens in the Palomar College Arboretum. The flowers are produced in coiled (scorpioid) cymes typical of the waterleaf & borage families; however, cladistical DNA evidence suggests this species is best placed in the subfamily Hydrophylloideae within the Boraginaceae.

Like our California phacelias and turriculas, the stiff hairs (trichomes) of wigandias can be irritating to sensitive skin. It is best not to handle wigandia plants without gloves. In fact, they are sometimes called "mala mujer" in Mexico; however, they are not nearly as painful or "bad" as the "mala mujeres" of the euphorbia family (Euphorbiaceae), including species of Cnidoscolus. Like prickly pear and cholla cacti, the general rule of "look but don't touch" also applies to the hairy stems of wigandia. As long as wigandias are pruned back and viewed from a distance, they pose no serious threat to people. They are truly remarkable shrubs with foliage reminiscent of the rain-soaked New World tropics.

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