Spring lessingia facts for kids

Lessingia tenuis is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the daisy family. People often call it the spring lessingia. This plant only grows in California. You can find it from the San Francisco Bay Area all the way down to Ventura County. It likes to grow on hillsides in places like the California Coast Ranges. It often lives in areas with chaparral, which is a type of shrubland.

What is Spring Lessingia?

Plant Features

The spring lessingia is an annual herb. This means it lives for only one growing season. It usually grows straight up. Its stems can reach about 15 centimeters (about 6 inches) tall.

The leaves on this plant are small. They are often divided into sections or have jagged edges. The biggest leaves are no longer than 4 centimeters (about 1.5 inches). The plant feels a bit hairy. Its color can be grayish-green, reddish, or brown.

Its Flowers

The plant's flower heads grow one by one. You can find them at the very end of the stem branches. Each flower head has special leaves called phyllaries around it. These phyllaries are often purplish and have tiny glands.

The flower head is round and flat, like a disc. It does not have any "ray florets." These are the petal-like parts you see on a daisy. Instead, it has many funnel-shaped "disc florets." These disc florets have long, thin parts.

Most of these disc florets are yellow. However, some plants in certain areas can have white or pink flowers. The main part of the flower, called the corolla, is usually yellow. This helps tell it apart from other similar plants. But some of the outer flowers might have a dark purple corolla. This is especially true for plants with white or pink flowers.

Fruit Facts

The fruit of the spring lessingia is a small, dry seed called an achene. This achene has a white, feathery top. This feathery part is called a pappus. It helps the seed float away in the wind.