Golden inside-out flower facts for kids

The Golden Inside-Out Flower (scientific name: Vancouveria chrysantha) is a beautiful flowering plant. It belongs to the barberry family. People also call it the Siskiyou Inside-Out Flower.

Where it Grows

This special plant naturally grows in parts of northwestern California and southwestern Oregon. You can find it in the Klamath Mountains. It likes dry, mountainous areas. It often grows in chaparral (a type of shrubland) and forests. It lives in places up to about 1,500 meters (or 4,900 feet) high.

What it Looks Like

The Golden Inside-Out Flower is a type of plant called a rhizomatous perennial herb. This means it lives for many years. It spreads using underground stems called rhizomes. Its main stem is short and mostly hidden underground.

The plant grows a patch of leaves from its base. Each leaf is made of several small, round parts called leaflets. These leaflets have shallow, rounded edges. They grow on long, reddish stalks called petioles.

The Flowers

The flowers appear in spring or early summer. They grow in a cluster called an inflorescence. This cluster is a type of raceme, which means the flowers grow along a long, upright stalk. This stalk is called a peduncle. It has hairy, sticky branches.

Each flower hangs downwards. It has six inner parts that look like petals, but they are actually sepals. These sepals are bright yellow and can be up to one centimeter long. They bend backwards, away from the center of the flower.

Behind these sepals are the true petals. These are smaller and also bright yellow. They are curled and shaped like little hoods. The flower also has six stamens, which produce pollen. It has a large, sticky ovary, which will develop into the fruit.