Lasthenia platycarpha

Alkali goldfields

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Alkali goldfields is a California native annual found in the Great Valley and San Francisco Bay Area in alkali flats at elevations below 120 meters. Flowering from March to April, this plant produces bright yellow ray flowers 7 to 8 millimeters long with distinctive yellow corollas when tested in alkali solution. Growing with erect stems up to 30 centimeters tall, it can be simple or branched from the base and varies from glabrous to slightly hairy. Its leaves range from 1 to 6 centimeters long, typically pinnately lobed and occasionally entire, with variable hairiness. The plant's small fruits are less than 3.5 millimeters long and accompanied by 4 to 6 white to yellowish lanceolate scales.

Habitat: Alkali flats

Bloom period: Mar-Apr

Elevation: < 120 m

Bioregions: GV, SnFrB (uncommon).

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