California Goldfields

Lasthenia californica

This is an annual herb is quite variable in appearance across locations and climates. The leaves are hairy, somewhat linear in shape. Individuals growing along the coast may have fleshy leaves. Atop the hairy stems are flower clusters of flower heads with hairy phyllaries (leaf-like structures at the base of the flower). The head contains many yellow disc florets with a fringe of small ray florets. Large populations of this species bloom at one time in the spring, producing the carpets of yellow on hillsides and in meadows that give the plant its common name.