Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Lasthenia chrysantha is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name alkalisink goldfields. It is endemic to the California Central Valley, where it grows in vernal pools and alkali flats. Lasthenia chrysantha is an annual herb approaching a maximum height near 28 centimeters. The stem may be branched or not and it bears mostly hairless, linear leaves up to 7 or 8 centimeters long. Lasthenia chrysantha is an annual herb approaching a maximum height near 28 centimeters. The stem may be branched or not and it bears mostly hairless, linear leaves up to 7 or 8 centimeters long. Atop the hairy to hairless stems are inflorescences of flower heads with hairless phyllaries. The head contains many yellow disc florets with a fringe of small yellow ray florets. The fruit is a black oval-shaped achene a few millimeters long with a fringe of tiny dull hairs around the edge. Like other goldfields, populations of this species bloom in the spring to produce a carpet of yellow in its habitat.

Plant type

Annual herb

Size

11 in Tall

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Color

Yellow

Plant communities

Alkali Sink, Valley Grassland, Wetland-Riparian

Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 1 likely

Confirmed Likely

Small Heliothodes Moth

Heliothodes diminutivus