| Oreocarya cana | |
|---|---|
| |
| On Fremont Butte, Washington County, Colorado | |
| Conservation status | |
 Apparently Secure (NatureServe) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Boraginales |
| Family: | Boraginaceae |
| Genus: | Oreocarya |
| Species: | O. cana |
| Binomial name | |
| Oreocarya cana A.Nelson | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Oreocarya cana is a long-lived species of perennial plant known by the common names mountain cryptantha and mountain cat's-eye in the family Boraginaceae. It is found in the western United States.
Description
Oreocarya cana is a perennial plant, forming caespitose mats from a thick caudex with many inflorescences that are narrow, and typically restricted to the upper half of the stem. Stems are densely but rather weakly covered in bristly hairs often less than 4 in (100 mm) tall, supporting foliar bracts that can rarely be seen. Sepals are 3-6mm long and finely covered in setose hairs. Tubular corollas are composed of five white petals roughly 3mm long, and are actinomorphic(radially symmetrical), with prominent yellow eyes.
Leaves are crowded near the main caudex, and are narrowly oblanceolate, reaching lengths of 20-60mm long. Leaves are densely and uniformly silky strigose, giving a smooth appearance to the naked eye, and are very inconspicuously pustulate abaxially(on the underside) and covered in bristly, setose hairs, while pustules on adaxial surfaces are highly obscured.
Easily distinguished from other species in its region as Oreocarya cana is the only species in its genus east of the Rockies that forms densely caespitose mats.
Range and habitat
Primary range is the western high plains of the United States, from Northeastern Colorado, north through eastern Wyoming and western Nebraska, into southwestern South Dakota. Separate sources also show disjunctions of Oreocarya cana occurring further west through Wyoming into Carbon and Bighorn counties in Montana, as well as rarely in North Dakota. Entire species range are estimates based on collected herbarium specimens.
It is typically found at 3,000 to 6,000 ft (910 to 1,830 m) elevation, usually on dry, rocky exposed sites, often occurring as a chasmophyte or lithophyte on sandstone Rimrock of bluffs and buttes, as well as on rolling plains either in Rocky Mountain Juniper and Rocky Mountain Ponderosa pine forest, or shortgrass prairie ecosystems.
Ecology
Oreocarya cana is highly drought tolerant and typically found in locations receiving 12 to 20 in (300 to 510 mm) precipitation annually. Blooms typically occur May and June. Little in depth study has been done on the ecology of many species in the genus Oreocarya, but most species are known to be pollinated by insects.
Conservation
Global status: G4(secure). Threats to Oreocarya cana include: overgrazing and trampling from livestock, rangeland management, and competition from invasive species. In Wyoming, it is ranked “S3”(Vulnerable) and is not tracked. In Colorado and South Dakota, it is ranked “S2”(Imperiled). In Nebraska, it is ranked “S5”(secure) and is not tracked.
References
- ^ NatureServe (3 January 2025). "Oreocarya cana". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- "Oreocarya cana A.Nelson". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ Citizen science observations for Oreocarya cana at iNaturalist
- ^ "Species: Oreocarya cana / Mountain Cat's-eye (Cryptantha cana)" (PDF).
- https://plants.sdsu.edu/oreocarya/pdfs/Payson1927-Cryptantha_Oreocarya_cana-Boraginac.pdf
- https://plants.sdsu.edu/oreocarya/pdfs/Payson1927-Cryptantha_Oreocarya_cana-Boraginac.pdf
- ^ Payson, E. B. (1927). "A Monograph of the Section Oreocarya of Cryptantha". Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 14 (3): 211–358. doi:10.2307/2394051. JSTOR 2394051.
- https://wildflowersearch.org/search?&tsn=31767
- https://wildflowersearch.org/search?&tsn=31767
- "Colorado Plant Database, Colorado State University Extension, Jefferson County".
- "Wyoming Climate Atlas: Temperature - Wyoming State Climate Office and Water Resources Data System".
- "Yellow Cryptanth - Arches National Park (U.S. National Park Service)".
External links
- https://plants.sdsu.edu/oreocarya/pdfs/Higgins1971-Cryptantha_Oreocarya-Boraginac.pdf
- https://coloradoplants.jeffco.us/plant/details/654
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Oreocarya cana | |
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