Distribution: Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to Oregon, east to Montana.
Habitat: Open areas, low to mid-elevations in the mountains.
Flowers: May-July
Origin: Native
Growth Duration: Annual
Conservation Status: Not of concern
Pollination: Bees, flies, wasps
Annual, the simple or branched stems 1-4 dm. tall, with short, stiff, spreading hairs.
Leaves linear to narrowly oblong, with sub-appressed, stiff hairs.
Inflorescence of naked spikes, usually elongate and paired; fruiting calyx 4-8 mm. long, the 5 lobes with stiff hairs; corolla white, inconspicuous, about 1 mm. wide; style surpassed by the nutlets.
Nutlets 4, ovate, acute, with rounded margins, 1.5-2.3 mm. long and 0.8-1.2 wide, smooth and shining, attached to the style.
PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Cryptantha torreyana in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database
WA Flora Checklist: Cryptantha torreyana checklist entry
OregonFlora: Cryptantha torreyana information
E-Flora BC: Cryptantha torreyana atlas page
CalPhotos: Cryptantha torreyana photos