Wikimedia Commons
Asteraceae
California Goldfields
Lasthenia californica
Abundance and fleeting beauty.
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Genus
- Lasthenia
- Native to
- Western North America, California, Oregon
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Type
- annual
- Height
- 0.25-1 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- Clay, loam, or sandy soil, tolerates poor soils
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- 6-10
- Lifespan
- annual
Did you know
- In spring, goldfields can blanket entire California hillsides in such dense yellow that they are visible from satellites.
- Early gold miners reportedly mistook distant hillsides covered in goldfields for actual gold deposits.
- Each tiny plant is only a few inches tall, but millions growing together create one of nature's most impressive wildflower displays.
- Goldfields are key components of the famous California super blooms that draw hundreds of thousands of visitors.
- The genus Lasthenia was named after a female student of Plato who disguised herself as a man to attend his lectures.
Color meanings
0
prosperity
1
natural wonder
2
simplicity