Photo © Al Schneider, www.swcoloradowildflowers.com

Photo © Al Schneider, www.swcoloradowildflowers.com

Photo © Al Schneider, www.swcoloradowildflowers.com

Yellow-eye Cryptanth

Cryptantha flavoculata

Synonym: Oreocarya flavoculata

Family: Boraginaceae – Borage Family

Perennial herbs; 4” to 1.2' (10 to 37 cm) tall

Leaves: opposite at base and alternate above; simple; generally rough and hairy; 1.2” to 4.4” (3 to 11 cm) long, 0.12” to 0.6” (3 to 15 mm) wide

Flowers: 5 united white or pale yellow petals – usually white on outside and yellow in center with a narrow tube and an abruptly flared top, the tube is 0.28” to 0.4” (7 to 10 mm) long, fornices yellow; 5 sepals free or united; 5 stamens; radially symmetrical; usually bisexual

Pollinators: other genera in this family are pollinated by insects

Fruits: 4 nutlets

Blooms in Arches National Park: March, April, May, June, July

Habitat in Arches National Park: desert shrub and pinyon-juniper communities

Location seen: park road mile 5.5, mile 7.4, mile 8, Delicate Arch trail, park road mile 16

Other: The genus name, “Cryptantha”, is from the Greek “kryptos” which means “to hide” and “anthos” which means “flower” referring to the bracts obscuring the flowers on some species. The species name, “flavoculata”, means “yellow-stemmed”.

The classification of this family is based primarily upon the structure of the fruit. This genus of plants is only found in America, mostly in the western United States, but also in the deserts of South America.