Needle goldfields facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Needle goldfields |
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| A close-up of the needle goldfields plant | |
| Scientific classification | |
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Lasthenia
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| Species: |
L. gracilis
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| Binomial name | |
| Lasthenia gracilis (DC.) Greene
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Lasthenia gracilis is a pretty plant often called needle goldfields. It's an annual plant, which means it grows, flowers, and dies all in one year. This plant has bright yellow flowers and is found in the southwestern United States, like California and Arizona. You can also spot it in northwestern Mexico, specifically in Baja California.
Needle goldfields belongs to the Lasthenia genus. This genus is part of the amazing sunflower family. Think of all the different types of sunflowers you know; this plant is a distant cousin!
What Needle Goldfields Looks Like
Needle goldfields is a type of herb. This means it's a plant that doesn't have a woody stem, like a tree or a bush. It's usually a bit hairy and can grow up to about 400 millimeters (about 16 inches) tall. Sometimes it has branches, and sometimes it grows straight up without them.
Leaves and Flowers
The leaves of the needle goldfields plant are usually between 8 and 70 millimeters long. They are long and narrow, sometimes a bit wider at the tip. Their edges are smooth, without any jagged teeth. The leaves can also be a bit hairy, just like the rest of the plant.
The flower head has a special structure called an involucre, which is like a set of leafy parts that surround the base of the flower head. For needle goldfields, this part is usually 5 to 10 millimeters big.
Each flower head is made up of two kinds of flowers:
- Ray flowers: These are the petal-like parts that stick out from the center. Needle goldfields usually has 6 to 13 of these ray flowers, and each one is about 5 to 10 millimeters long.
- Disk flowers: These are the many tiny flowers packed together in the center of the flower head. There are usually lots of them!
