Lasthenia coronaria
Crowned or royal goldfields, Crowned Goldfields
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Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Lasthenia coronaria (Crowned or royal goldfields) is a native California herb in the Asteraceae family, recognized by sweet-scented with distinctive glandular pubescence.
Crowned goldfields is a California native annual found in southern California coastal areas, Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, and western deserts in sunny, open grassy places at elevations below 700 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces bright yellow flowers in small clusters, with ray flowers 3 to 10 millimeters long. Growing to 40 centimeters tall with simple or much-branched stems covered in short glandular and non-glandular hairs, it has a delicate and sweet-scented appearance. Its leaves are linear, 1.5 to 6 centimeters long, often glandular-hairy and sometimes pinnately lobed. The small fruits are less than 2.5 millimeters long, linear to narrowly club-shaped, and dark black when mature.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 8 sympatric species; sweet-scented with distinctive glandular pubescence
Habitat and range
Habitat: Sunny, open grassy places, uncommon
Elevation: < 700 m
Outside California: northwestern Baja California
Bloom period
Lasthenia coronaria blooms Mar-May.
How to tell it apart
vs Monolopia: Monolopia has alternate leaves; Lasthenia has opposite leaves throughout most of stem.; vs Eriophyllum: Eriophyllum is woolly-hairy; Lasthenia is smooth or only slightly hairy.; vs Ranunculus: Ranunculus has separate shiny petals and divided basal leaves; Lasthenia has composite flower heads.; vs Pseudobahia: Pseudobahia leaves are alternate above; Lasthenia leaves remain opposite throughout.; vs Blennosperma: Blennosperma has phyllaries fused into a cup; Lasthenia has separate overlapping phyllaries.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lasthenia coronaria native to California?
Yes. Lasthenia coronaria is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Lasthenia coronaria bloom?
Lasthenia coronaria blooms Mar-May.
What plant family does Lasthenia coronaria belong to?
Lasthenia coronaria is in the Asteraceae family, genus Lasthenia.
What habitat does Lasthenia coronaria grow in?
Lasthenia coronaria grows in Sunny, open grassy places, uncommon.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.