Cryptantha minima facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cryptantha minima
Scientific classification
Genus:	Cryptantha
Species:	minima

The Little Cryptantha (scientific name: Cryptantha minima) is a tiny, green plant that lives for only one year. It's also known as the little catseye or small cryptantha. This plant is part of the borage family, called Boraginaceae.

Discovering the Little Cryptantha

A Closer Look at This Tiny Plant

The Little Cryptantha is an annual plant. This means it grows from a seed, flowers, produces new seeds, and then dies all within one year. It's also a herbaceous plant. This means it has soft, green stems, not woody ones like trees or shrubs. It's usually quite small, as its common names suggest!

Where Does the Little Cryptantha Grow?

This plant is found in the middle of North America. It likes places that are a bit dry, called semi-arid grasslands. These are areas with lots of grass but not much rain. It also lives in intermontane basins. These are wide, flat areas found between mountain ranges.

You can find the Little Cryptantha in many places. It grows from Alberta in Canada all the way down to Texas in the United States. This includes states like Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.

Why Is the Little Cryptantha Endangered?

In Canada, the Little Cryptantha is in trouble. It is listed as an endangered species. This means there are very few of these plants left in the wild. Because of this, it is protected under a law called the Species at Risk Act. This law helps protect plants and animals that are in danger of disappearing forever. Scientists and conservationists are working to help this tiny plant survive.