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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE BORAGE FAMILY | |||||||||
| The borage family is represented around the world, especially in temperate and subtropical regions. There are about 117 genera and 2,400 species in this family. The borages are herbaceous plants. The name Borago comes from the Latin word “burra”, which means hairy garment and refers to the hairy leaves. The inflorescences are coiled or one-sided. The flowers are small and can often be hard to see. The fruit type is a nutlet or a drupe. Members of the borage family contain chemical compounds that are used for medicines, wines, and some cosmetics. Some borages are used as ornamentals and pot herbs; others are important as honey plants. | |||||||||
| TINY CRYPTANTHE | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Cryptantha minima | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Tiny cryptanthe grows to 15 cm tall and may bloom when it is only 2 cm tall! The roots and stems are slender. The hairy stem is branched several times. The basal leaves are not in a tuft and the stem leaves are alternate and sessile. The leaves are all bristly hairy and have blisters at the base of the hairs. The flowers are arranged in a linear cluster with one main axis that is leafy all the way to the tip. The sepals have a whitened, hardened midrib and are very hairy. The petals are small and white. The nutlets are of two types, one larger and one smaller. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Tiny cryptanthe grows in dry, sandy grasslands. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species has been located in southwestern Saskatchewan in the Mixed Grassland ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Tiny cryptanthe is endangered in Saskatchewan because it is extremely rare and is restricted to one small region of the province. These plants are usually locally numerous within limited localized areas. Its occurrence in Saskatchewan represents a range extension for this species. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY TINY CRYPTANTHE | |||||||||
| * Is a basal tuft of leaves absent? * Are the leaves and stem bristly-hairy? * Are the midribs on the sepals hard and white? * Did you find it in southwestern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found tiny cryptanthe! | |||||||||
