California Goldfields
Lasthenia californica
Photographed along the Bush Highway north of Usery Pass and Mesa, Maricopa County, Arizona, USA on Mar. 27, 2010.
FLOWERS: Diminutive annual of spring which often makes up for its small
size by its abundance. Blooms mostly March to April. Rays are yellow and disc
flowers a little darker. Each little sunflower is about the size of an American
nickle.
ANNUAL: A low-growing, winter-spring annual plant appearing only in years with
good winter rains.
LEAVES The leaves, opposite on the stems, are finely divided into narrow
segments.
RANGE: Grows on flat open places with gravel or sandy soils in the
deserts of California to southwestern New Mexico.
FRUIT: The small seeds have a low crown of scales atop each.