Alkalisink goldfields facts for kids

Lasthenia chrysantha is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the daisy family. People often call it the alkalisink goldfields. This plant only grows in the California Central Valley. You can find it in special wet areas called vernal pools. It also grows in salty, dry places known as alkali flats.

About the Plant

Lasthenia chrysantha is an annual herb. This means it lives for only one growing season. It can grow up to about 28 centimeters tall. That's about the length of a standard ruler.

The plant's stem can be branched or straight. It has long, thin leaves. These leaves are mostly smooth and can be up to 7 or 8 centimeters long.

Flowers and Fruit

At the top of the stems are its flower heads. These heads have smooth leaf-like parts around them. Each flower head has many small yellow flowers. These are called disc florets. There are also tiny yellow ray florets around the edge.

After the flowers bloom, the plant produces fruit. The fruit is a black, oval-shaped achene. It is only a few millimeters long. It has a tiny fringe of dull hairs around its edge. Like other plants in the goldfields group, this species blooms in the spring. When many bloom together, they create a beautiful yellow carpet across the landscape.