Lasthenia glabrata subsp. glabrata

Yellow-ray goldfields, Yellow-Ray Goldfields

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Yellow-ray goldfields is a California native annual found in northern Coast Ranges, southern Sierra Nevada foothills, Central Valley, and central western California in saline areas and vernal pools at elevations below 550 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces bright yellow ray flowers in small compact heads. Growing with slender branching stems 5 to 20 centimeters tall, it forms delicate low-growing clusters across wet meadows and seasonal wetlands. Its leaves are narrow and linear, typically 2 to 10 millimeters long, arranged alternately along the stems. The fruit is smooth and lacks surface papillae, contributing to its distinctive appearance in grassland and wetland habitats.

Habitat: Saline places, vernal pools

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: < 550 m

Bioregions: NCoRI, s SNF, GV, CW.

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