Species: Cryptantha kelseyana Greene

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Cryptantha kelseyana Greene

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TAXONOMY

Family:

Boraginaceae

Genus:

Cryptantha

Species Synonyms:

none

Common Names:

Kelsey’s cryptantha
Kelseys cryptantha

DISTRIBUTION

Canada:

southern Alberta - southern Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan:

southern Saskatchewan; Alsask - Alameda

Ecoregion:

Cypress Upland, Mixed Grassland, Moist Mixed Grassland, Aspen Parkland

HABITAT

Saskatchewan:

dry silty grasslands, southeast-facing slopes

Associated Species:

Fendlers cryptanthe, flatspine stickseed, narrowleaf goosefoot, six weeks fescue, woolly plantain

RARITY STATUS

Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):

Threatened

Nature Conservancy Status:

G4 N1 S2

Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:

None

COSEWIC Status:

None

Kelsey’s cryptantha is threatened in Saskatchewan because it is rare or uncommon. It is somewhat regionally restricted to the southern portion of the province. In addition, most local populations are small and some may be threatened by development and habitat loss.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION

Height:

10 – 25 cm

Roots:

taproot slender

Stem:

annual, diffusely branched, slender, stiff appressed hairs or spreading-bristly hairy

Leaves:

on the stem, lacking conspicuous tuft of basal leaves, alternate, sessile, to 3 cm long, 1 – 5 mm wide, linear to spoon-shaped, tip acute, bristly hairy and with blisters at the base of the hairs above and below

Inflorescence:

spike-like, with one main axis, elongate in age; bracted only below, bracts lacking in upper flowers

Flower:

minute, inconspicuous, hidden by hairs; sepals short, 4 – 7 mm long, midrib not hardened or whitened, hairy; petals < 2 mm, inconspicuous, white

Fruits:

nutlets of two different types, one large and smooth, three small and bumpy; sepals closed in fruit

CRYPTANTHA KEY FOR VARIETIES FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN

1 Perennial; taproot woody; stems simple or branched from base; conspicuous tuft of basal leaves; inflorescence unbranched; petals 6 – 11 mm wide, conspicuous	C. celosioides
1 Annual; taproot slender; stems often diffusely branched; lacking a conspicuous tuft of basal leaves; branched, spike-like inflorescence with one main axis; petals less than 2 mm wide, minute	2

2 Inflorescence bracted throughout, bracts longer than sepals; sepal lobes long with thick, hardened, whitish mid-nerves	C. minima
2 Inflorescence bracted only below, bracts not conspicuous, lacking in upper flowers; sepal lobes short, neither whitened nor thickened	3

3 Nutlets all similar, all smooth or nearly so	C. fendleri
3 Nutlets of two types, one large and smooth, three smaller and bumpy	C. kelseyana