E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Cryptantha affinis (A. Gray) Greene
common cryptantha (quill cryptantha)
Boraginaceae (Borage family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants
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E-Flora BC Static Map
Distribution of Cryptantha affinis
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Species Information

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General:
Annual herb from a taproot; stems simple or branched, with stiff, straight, appressed to somewhat coarse, long hairs, 5-30 cm tall.
Leaves:
Scattered along the stem, linear to oblong, 1-4 cm long, short-bristly, alternate, entire.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of several coiled, often paired,1-sided, spikelike arms; petals white, fused into a short tube that spreads (1-2 mm wide) at the top to 5 lobes, with yellow bulges at the throat; calyces 2.5-4 mm long in fruit, with long, coarse hairs or bristles.
Fruits:
Nutlets 4, clustered together, to 2 mm long, egg-shaped, smooth or finely sandy on surface (granular), compressed, groove on inner face off to one edge, more or less closed at the base.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Dry to mesic sites in the lowland and steppe zones; infrequent in S BC; E to SW AB and S to WY and CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Cryptantha affinis

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum

Elevation (metres) 500 763 900
Slope Gradient (%) 8 20 35
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]
172 239 335
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
1 2 3
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
C
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:
4
Modal BEC Zone Class
IDF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: BG(1), IDF(3)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

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General References