Cryptantha flavoculata is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name roughseed cryptantha. It is native to the western United States from California to Montana, where it is common in many types of habitat. It is a perennial herb growing an unbranching stem up to about 35 centimeters tall from a woody caudex. It is coated in soft bristly hairs. The densely hairy to bristly leaves vary in shape and may reach 11 centimeters long.