Taxon Report

Johnstonella costata (Brandegee) Hasenstab & M.G. Simpson

ribbed cryptantha

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Johnstonella costata, commonly known as ribbed cryptantha, is a annual herb in the Boraginaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Desert dunes, Mojavean desert scrub, and Sonoran desert scrub, growing at elevations from -60 to 500 meters. Johnstonella costata is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Johnstonella costata (Brandegee) Hasenstab & M.G. Simpson
Common Name:	ribbed cryptantha
Family:	Boraginaceae
Element Code:	PDBOR0A0M0
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:	Cryptantha costata

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: Feb-May	Feb-May
Elevation:	-60-500 (-195-1640)
General Habitats:	Desert dunes, Mojavean desert scrub, Sonoran desert scrub
Microhabitat:	Sandy
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.3
Global Rank:	G4G5
State Rank:	S4
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	0
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	0

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Imperial (IMP), Inyo (INY), Riverside (RIV), San Bernardino (SBD), San Diego (SDG)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Grays Well (3211468), Grays Well NE (3211467), Midway Well NW (3211562), Acolita (3311512), Arica Mountains (3411418), Bannock (3411487), Borrego Mountain (3311622), Borrego Palm Canyon (3311634), Borrego Sink (3311623), Bristol Lake NW (3411546), Cactus (3211478), Cadiz Lake (3411534), Cadiz Lake NW (3411544), Cadiz Valley NW (3411524), Calexico (3211564), Calumet Mountains (3411535), Cathedral City (3311674), Cave Mountain (3511613), Clark Lake (3311633), Corn Spring (3311563), Cowhole Mountain (3511518), Coyote Wells (3211568), Cronese Lakes (3511623), Crucero Hill (3511612), Dale Lake (3411526), Dumont Dunes (3511662), East of Acolita (3311511), East of Victory Pass (3311573), Fall Canyon (3611772), Fonts Point (3311632), Ford Dry Lake (3311561), Fort Irwin (3511636), Furnace Creek (3611647), Glamis (3211581), Glamis NW (3211582), Glamis SW (3211572), Harpers Well (3311518), Heber (3211565), Hesperia (3411743), Holtville West (3211574), Hopkins Well (3311458), Indio (3311662), Kane Spring NE (3311527), Kane Spring NW (3311528), La Quinta (3311663), Lower Warm Springs (3611777), Martinez Mtn. (3311653), McCoy Spring (3311468), Mecca (3311651), Mesquite Flat (3611762), Mount Signal (3211566), Myoma (3311673), Needles (3411475), New Dale (3411516), Niland (3311525), Oasis (3311641), Ogilby (3211477), Painted Gorge (3211578), Palen Lake (3311572), Palm Springs (3311675), Palm View Peak (3311665), Rice (3411417), Roosevelt Mine (3311457), Saddle Peak Hills (3511663), Seventeen Palms (3311631), Shell Reef (3311621), Shore Line Butte (3511686), Sidewinder Well (3311562), Soda Lake South (3511611), Stovepipe Wells (3611752), Sunfair (3411622), Tecopa (3511672), Thumb Peak (3311447), Truckhaven (3311538), Twentynine Palms (3411621), Valjean Hills (3511661), Wileys Well (3311448), Yuha Basin (3211567)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	0 %

Notes



Possibly threatened by development, vehicles, and non-native plants. See Systematic Botany 37(3):738-757 (2012) for revised nomenclature.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 13 May 2025].