Oreocarya humilis

Oreocarya humilis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Boraginales
Family:	Boraginaceae
Genus:	Oreocarya
Species:	O. humilis
Binomial name
Oreocarya humilis (A.Gray) Greene
Synonyms
List Cryptantha alpicola Cronquist Cryptantha humilis (A.Gray) Payson Cryptantha humilis var. commixta (J.F.Macbr.) L.C.Higgins Cryptantha humilis var. nana (Eastw.) L.C.Higgins Cryptantha humilis var. ovina (Payson) L.C.Higgins Cryptantha humilis var. shantzii (Tidestr.) L.C.Higgins Cryptantha nana (Eastw.) Payson Cryptantha nana var. commixta (J.F.Macbr.) Payson Cryptantha nana var. ovina Payson Cryptantha nana var. shantzii (Tidestr.) Payson Cryptantha nana var. typica Payson, not validly publ. Eritrichium glomeratum var. humile A.Gray Oreocarya alpicola (Cronquist) D.W.Taylor Oreocarya commixta J.F.Macbr. Oreocarya dolosa J.F.Macbr. Oreocarya hispida A.Nelson & P.B.Kenn. Oreocarya humilis subsp. nana (Eastw.) W.A.Weber Oreocarya nana Eastw. Oreocarya shantzii Tidestr.

Oreocarya humilis, synonym Cryptantha humilis, is a perennial plant in the borage family (Boraginaceae), native to the western United States. It may be called low cryptantha.

Description

Oreocarya humilis has small, densely leafy stems, giving it a cushion-like appearance, and is relatively low growing, hence the common name. The hairy leaves are spoon-shaped. The inflorescences have five-lobed, white flowers with a yellow ring inside the upper throat, and are less than 1⁄2 in (1.3 cm) wide. The ovate fruits (nutlets) are more wrinkled than those of O. nubigena.

Distribution and habitat

Oreocarya humilis is native to the western United States: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah. In the Sierra Nevada range, it is found in dry, gravely soils of the sagebrush scrub community, in subalpine forest, and the alpine zone, up to 11,900 feet (3,600 m).