Lasthenia chrysantha

Alkali-sink goldfields, Alkali-Sink Goldfields

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Alkali-sink goldfields is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found in southern Sacramento Valley and southern San Joaquin Valley bioregions in vernal pools and wet saline flats at elevations below 100 meters. Flowering from February to April, this plant produces bright yellow flowers in small heads with ray flowers 6 to 7 millimeters long that turn distinctively yellow when exposed to alkali solution. Growing to 28 centimeters tall with stems that are either simple or freely branched and glabrous or slightly hairy, it forms delicate compact clusters. Its leaves are linear, less than 8 centimeters long, entire, and either glabrous or slightly hairy. The fruit is small, 2 to 3 millimeters long, obovoid and flattened with a black color and fringed margins edged with white or straw-like curved hairs.

Habitat: Uncommon. Vernal pools, wet saline flats

Bloom period: Feb-Apr

Elevation: < 100 m

Bioregions: s ScV, SnJV.

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.