Cryptantha crinita is a rare species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common names Sacramento cryptantha and silky cryptantha. It is endemic to California in the United States, where it occurs in the northern Sacramento Valley and the adjacent edges of the Cascade Range foothills. This annual herb grows up to 30 or 40 centimeters in height. The branching stem and leaves are covered in hairs. The lance-shaped to oblong leaves are 1 to 3 centimeters in length. The inflorescence is a dense, coiled cyme of several flowers with soft-hairy sepals and white corollas. Blooming occurs in April and May.

Flaccid Cryptantha (Cryptantha flaccida) is a native annual herb that grows in northern, southern and central California. It tends to grow in open areas, at elevations from 0-6000 feet.

Cryptantha incana is a rare species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name Tulare cryptantha. It is endemic to California in the United States, where it occurs in the forests and woodlands of the southern Sierra Nevada. It is a poorly known species with three occurrences based on three historical collections. It was collected in Tulare County in 1904 and 1941 and once in Inyo County in 1989. The plant is an annual herb up to 50 centimeters tall with a hairy, branching stem. The lance-shaped or oblong leaves are up to 3. 5centimeters long and have bristly undersides. The inflorescence is a coiled cyme of flowers that uncoils as the fruits develop. The flowers have corollas less than half a centimeter wide and hairy, bristly sepals.

Cryptantha intermedia is a species of wildflower in the borage family known by several common names, including common cryptantha, Clearwater cryptantha, and nievitas. This plant is native to sagebrush scrub and chaparral plant communities, and woodlands and forests of western North America from British Columbia to Baja California. Cryptantha intermedia is an annual plant with a rough, hairy, branching stem reaching a maximum of half a meter in height. It grows from a mostly basal clump of hairy leaves one to several centimeters long. The erect stems are topped with one or more small flowers, each about a centimeter wide and bright white, sometimes with yellow coloration in the throat.

Cryptantha leiocarpa is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name coastal cryptantha. It is native to the coastline of Oregon and California where it grows in sandy areas such as beaches. This small annual herb grows an erect hairy, bristly branching stem to a maximum height near 30 centimeters. The stems droop and trail along the ground when they become long. The linear leaves are 1 to 3 centimeters long and have rough hairs. The plant bears small, tight clusters of white five-lobed flowers with yellow centers and tiny bristly sepals underneath.

Cryptantha micromeres is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name pygmyflower cryptantha. It is native to California and Baja California, where it grows in woodland and chaparral. Cryptantha micromeres is a hairy annual herb growing a branching stem to heights between 10 and 50 centimeters. The leaves are up to 4 centimeters long, variable in shape and covered in bristles. The inflorescence contains clusters of tiny bristly white flowers only a few millimeters wide.

Cryptantha microstachys is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name Tejon cryptantha. It is native to California and Baja California, where it grows in several types of habitat, including chaparral in the coastal and inland hills and mountains. It is an annual herb producing a branching or unbranched stem 10 to 50 centimeters tall which is coated in hairs and bristles. The hairy leaves are linear to oblong in shape and up to 4 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a length of bristly developing fruits tipped with open flowers with five-lobed white corollas just a few millimeters wide.

Cryptantha muricata is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name pointed cryptantha. It is native to California and adjacent parts of Arizona, Baja California, and Nevada, where it is known from many habitat types. It is an annual herb producing a branching 10 centimeters to one meter in height which is coated densely in rough and soft hairs. The leaves are linear in shape and no more than 4 centimeters long. They have hairs and bristles, some of which have bulbous bases. The flower cluster is a length of very hairy developing fruits tipped with a cluster of small five-lobed white flowers.

Cryptantha nevadensis is a species of wildflower in the borage family known by the common names Nevada catseye and Nevada forget-me-not. This small plant is native to the California, Utah, Arizona, and Baja California where it grows in sandy and rocky soils in varied habitats across the region. Like other cryptanthas it is a very hairy, bristly flowering herb with a curling inflorescence that resembles that of fiddlenecks. This is an annual plant rarely exceeding 1.5 feet in height. It is covered in long, white hairs and its tiny white flowers are about a quarter inch wide. The fruit is a bumpy nutlet.

Cryptantha pterocarya is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name wingnut cryptantha. It is native to the western United States where it grows in many types of habitat. It is an annual herb producing a stem with a few branches that reaches up to about 40 centimeters in maximum height. The leaves are linear to oblong in shape and up to 5 centimeters long. The plant herbage is very hairy to bristly, generally rough in texture. The inflorescence is a length of developing fruits tipped with one or more open flowers. The flower has a white five-lobed corolla. The fruit is a nutlet which is often, but not always, winged.

Beaked Cryptantha (Cryptantha rostellata) is a native annual herb that grows in central and northern California. It tends to grow at elevations from 0-3000 feet.

Cryptantha scoparia is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name Miners candle. It has been found in Idaho, Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado but there have only been 5 confirmed sightings in recent years. It is a small slender herb which prefers open sunny sites often in semi arid canyons and hillsides.

Slender Cryptantha (Cryptantha sparsiflora) is a native annual herb that grows in southern and central California. It tends to grow at elevations from 0-4000 feet.

Torrey's Cryptantha (Cryptantha torreyana) is a native annual herb that grows in northern, southern and central California. It tends to grow in open places and slopes and , at elevations from 1500-7500 feet.

Cryptogramma acrostichoides is a species of fern known by the common names American parsley fern and American rockbrake. It is native to most of western North America, where it grows in the cracks of rocks in many types of mountainous habitat. It grows in a tuft from a rhizome. There are two leaf types. The sterile leaf has flat, oval-shaped lobed leaflets resembling parsley, and the fertile leaf is longer with narrow, thick, linear leaflets with their margins curled under to cover the sporangia on the undersides.

Cryptogramma cascadensis is a species of fern known by the common names Cascade parsley fern and Cascade rockbrake. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Montana to California, where it grows in the cracks and crevices of mountain talus slopes, especially in moist subalpine areas on volcanic or granite rocks. The plant forms a clump from a rhizome. It has two types of leaves. The sterile leaf is flat with lobed oval or diamond-shaped leaflets, and the fertile leaf is longer, with narrow, thick, fingerlike leaflets with edges curled under to cover the sporangia on the undersides. Taxonomy. Formerly lumped with Cryptogramma acrostichoides, C. cascadensis was described as a distinct species by Ed Alverson in 1989. The type specimen was collected growing on talus below Chair Peak, 5 km (3 mi) northwest of Snoqualmie Pass. Distribution and habitat. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Montana to California, where it grows in the cracks and crevices of mountain talus slopes, especially in moist subalpine areas on volcanic or granite rocks.

Cucurbita digitata is a species of flowering plant in the squash family known by the common names fingerleaf gourd and bitter squash. It is similar to Cucurbita californica, Cucurbita cordata, Cucurbita cylindrata, and Cucurbita palmata and all these species hybridize readily. These species form the only restricted xerophyte species group in the genus Cucurbita. Each member of this species group is native to the Southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico where they are relatively uncommon. Each group member is found in hot, arid regions with low rainfall. They prefer soil that is loose, gravelly, and well-drained. C. digitata is native to northern Baja California at higher elevations, northern Sonora, Mexico, southern Arizona, and southwestern New Mexico. The juvenile leaves of C. cylindrata, C. cordata, C. digitata, and C. palmata show a high degree of similarity, but their mature leaves are visibly different, as are their root structures. C. palmata and C. digitata are sympatric, with C. palmata separating the ranges of C. digitata at the juncture of Baja California, California, and Arizona. C. digitata fruits are clear green mottle that turns yellow at maturity, striped, and round. It was first identified by Asa Gray in 1853. Cucurbita digitata is a hairy vining plant with sharply palmate leaves having five fingerlike lobes. It is quite similar in appearance to its close relative, the coyote gourd Cucurbita palmata, but the lobes of its leaves are usually more slender. It has curling yellow flowers up to 5 centimeters wide. The fruit is a dark green squash, rounded or nearly rounded, with mottling and distinct white stripes. The bitter fruit is very distasteful and generally not edible, although a few animals may hesitantly eat the flesh while trying to get at the seeds. Each white seed is about a centimeter long and at 35% protein and 50% fat is a nutritious food.

Cucurbita foetidissima (buffalo gourd, calabazilla, chilicote, coyote gourd, fetid gourd, Missouri gourd, stinking gourd, wild gourd, wild pumpkin) is a xerophytic tuberous plant found in the southwestern USA and northwestern Mexico. A member of the cucumber family, the fruit is consumed by humans and non-human animals both. The fruit can be eaten cooked like a squash when very young. As the fruit becomes fully mature, it is too bitter for humans to eat. At this stage, the fruit is used by natives for decorative purposes or in making musical instruments, particularly rattles. The seeds are the source of buffalo gourd oil. It grows fast (including a massive underground tuber) with little water, and some have proposed growing it for fuel or biofuel ethanol

Cucurbita palmata is a species of flowering plant in the squash family known by the common names coyote melon and coyote gourd. It is similar to Cucurbita californica, Cucurbita cordata, Cucurbita cylindrata, and Cucurbita digitata and all these species hybridize readily. It was first identified by Sereno Watson in 1876. These species form the only restricted xerophyte species group in the genus Cucurbita. Each member of this species group is native to the Southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico where they are relatively uncommon. Each group member is found in hot, arid regions with low rainfall. They prefer soil that is loose, gravelly, and well-drained. C. palmata is native to northeastern Baja California, southeastern California, and southwestern Arizona to a point near the Colorado River. The juvenile leaves of C. cylindrata, C. cordata, C. digitata, and C. palmata show a high degree of similarity, but their mature leaves are visibly different, as are their root structures. C. palmata and C. digitata are sympatric, with C. palmata separating the ranges of C. digitata at the juncture of Baja California, California, and Arizona. C. palmata fruits are diffuse green mottle that turns yellow at maturity, striped, and round. Cucurbita palmata is a sprawling vine with rough, stiff-haired stems and leaves. The dark green, light-veined leaves are sharply palmate with usually five long triangular points. Cucurbita palmata is a sprawling vine with rough, stiff-haired stems and leaves. The dark green, light-veined leaves are sharply palmate with usually five long triangular points. The stiff, curling yellow flowers are 6 to 8 centimeters wide. The plant bears smooth spherical or oblate squash fruits 8 to 10 centimeters wide. The fruits may be bright yellow to dark green and may have white stripes. The fruit is distasteful and not edible.

Cuniculotinus is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family. There is only one known species, Cuniculotinus gramineus. It is native to the Great Basin deserts of California in Inyo County; and of southern Nevada in Nye, Lincoln, and Clark Counties.

Cupressus arizonica, the Arizona Cypress, is a species of cypress native to the southwest of North America, in the United States in Arizona, southwest New Mexico, southern California, and the Chisos Mountains of west Texas, and in Mexico in Coahuila, Chihuahua, Durango, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas and northern Baja California. In the wild, the species is often found in small, scattered populations, not necessarily in large forests. An example occurrence is within the Sierra Jurez and San Pedro Mrtir pine-oak forests of Mexico, where it is found along with Canyon Live Oak and California Fan Palm. It is a medium-sized evergreen tree with a conic to ovoid-conic crown. It grows to heights of 10-25 meter, and its trunk diameter reaches 0.5 meter. The foliage grows in dense sprays, varying from dull gray-green to bright waxy pale blue-green in color. The leaves are scale-like, 2-5 millimeter long, and produced on rounded (not flattened) shoots. The seed cones are globose to oblong, 15-33 millimeter long, with 6 or 8 (rarely 4 or 10) scales, green at first, maturing gray or gray-brown about 20-24 months after pollination. The cones remain closed for many years, only opening after the parent tree is killed in a wildfire, thereby allowing the seeds to colonize the bare ground exposed by the fire. The male cones are 3-5 millimeter long, and release pollen in February-March.

Cuscuta californica is a species of dodder known by the common names Chaparral dodder and California dodder. It is native to western North America. Cuscuta californica is a parasitic vine which climbs other plants and takes nutrition directly from them via a haustorium. The dodder resembles a pile of yellow-orange straw wrapped tightly around its host plant. It is mostly stem; the leaves are reduced to scales on the stem's surface, since they are not needed for photosynthesis while the dodder is obtaining nutrients from its host. It bears tiny white flowers which are only about 3 millimeters wide, and fruits which are even smaller.