Lasthenia Californica
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''Lasthenia californica'' is a species of flowering plant in the family
Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...
known by the common name California goldfields. It is native to western
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
.


Description

''L. californica'' is an annual herb approaching a maximum height near , but generally staying much smaller. The plant is quite variable in appearance across
subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
and climates. The
leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
are hairy, somewhat linear in shape, and about long. Individuals growing along the coast may have fleshy leaves. Between March and May, the hairy stems are topped by
inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
s of
flower heads A pseudanthium (Greek for "false flower"; ) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, compos ...
, across, with hairy phyllaries. The head contains many yellow disc florets with a fringe of about 10 small ray florets. Large populations of this species bloom at once in the spring to produce the carpets of yellow on hillsides and in meadows that give the plant its common name. The seed sometimes has brownish scales at the tip. '' Crocidium multicaule'' is similar in appearance, but most of its leaves are in a basal rosette, with alternate leaves on the stem.


Taxonomy

The species is placed by some in the genus ''Baeria''.


Distribution and habitat

The plant can be found in
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
,
Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
,
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
and
Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...
. It thrives in open fields and slopes at low elevations, especially in poor grassless soils with adequate moisture.


References


External links


Jepson Manual Treatment: ''Lasthenia californica''Calflora-Lasthenia californicaUSDA Plants Profile — ''Lasthenia californica'' (California Goldfields)''Lasthenia californica'' (California Goldfields) — U.C. Photo gallery
californica Flora of California Flora of Oregon Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Madieae-stub