Scientific Family
Boraginaceae
Synonyms
Eremocarya lepida, Eremocarya micrantha var. micrantha
Other common names
greater alley cat's-eye
purple-rooted forget-me-not
purpleroot pick-me-not
redroot catseye
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
2 to 6 inches
Riparian
No
Rounded to cushion-like or taller than wide; taproot generally red, red roots bleed a red stain; roots purple when dry; stem branched throughout; branches spreading to erect. Flower spikes are only mildly curving, flowers white.
Taproot bleeds a red stain; stems slender, branched mostly above, covered in small, appressed hairs; nutlets sit on top of a dilated receptacle that is longer than the nutlets; style is visible at the top of the nutlets, nutlets open longitudinally.
Habitat
Found on sandy soil, common in creosote shrub lands.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
2000
High elevation
7000
Flower Characteristics
Tiny white flowers, less than 1/8 inch, on small, terminal clusters that are curving but not as strongly as other Cryptantha.
Flower color
White
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
Yes
First bloom month
February
Last bloom month
June
Flower clusters
Rounded
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Lower leaves opposite, upper leaves alternate. Leaves approximately 1/4 inch long.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Bright green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Nutlets 4, all the same size, lance-like in shape, with rounded margins.
Fruit type
Nutlet
Fruit color
Green turning to brown