Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Washington to California, east to Idaho, Colorado and Texas.
Habitat: Dry, open, often sandy areas of sagebrush and grasslands.
Flowers: April-June
Origin: Native
Growth Duration: Annual
Conservation Status: Not of concern
Pollination: Bees, flies, wasps
Annual, the simple or branched stem 1-4 dm. tall, the herbage moderately stiff-hairy, often with small blisters.
Leaves small, scattered, linear.
Inflorescence of paired, naked spikes; fruiting calyx 4-5 mm. long and broad, closed, pyramidal, the lobes lanceolate, stiff-hairy; corolla white, 0.5-2 mm. wide; style equaling the nutlets.
Nutlets 4, 3 mm. long, lanced-ovate, attached to the style, one wingless, the other 3 with broad, toothed or lobed wing margins, attached to the style.
Publication: Pittonia 1(7): 120. 1887.
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var. pterocarya – wingnut cryptantha
Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Washington to California, east to Idaho, Colorado and Texas.
PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Cryptantha pterocarya in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database
WA Flora Checklist: Cryptantha pterocarya checklist entry
OregonFlora: Cryptantha pterocarya information
E-Flora BC: Cryptantha pterocarya atlas page
CalPhotos: Cryptantha pterocarya photos
