''Lasthenia fremontii'' is a species of flowering plant in the family
Asteraceae known by the common name Frémont's goldfields (after
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont or Fremont (January 21, 1813July 13, 1890) was an American explorer, military officer, and politician. He was a U.S. Senator from California and was the first Republican nominee for president of the United States in 1856 ...
). It is
endemic to the
California Central Valley
The Central Valley is a broad, elongated, flat valley that dominates the interior of California. It is wide and runs approximately from north-northwest to south-southeast, inland from and parallel to the Pacific coast of the state. It covers ...
, where it grows in
vernal pools and meadows.
Description
''Lasthenia fremontii'' is an annual herb approaching a maximum height near 35 centimeters. The hairy stem may be branched or not and it bears linear or few-lobed leaves up to about 6 centimeters long.
Atop the stems are
inflorescences 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 ...
with hairy
phyllaries. The head contains many tufted yellow disc florets with a fringe of small yellow or occasionally white ray florets.
The fruit is a hairy club-shaped
achene
An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not ope ...
less than 2 millimeters long.
External links
*
Jepson Manual Treatment: ''Lasthenia fremontii''USDA Plants Profile''Lasthenia fremontii'' — U.C. Photo gallery
fremontii
Endemic flora of California
Natural history of the Central Valley (California)
John C. Frémont
Taxa named by Asa Gray
Taxa named by Edward Lee Greene
Taxa named by John Torrey
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
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