Practical
Plants

Lasthenia glabrata

Yellowray Goldfields

an annual member of the Lasthenia genus in the family Compositae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual
Height
0.3 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - raw or cooked. The seed can be parched and eaten dry or made into a powder and eaten dry or cooked like a porridge[2][3][5].

Plant part
Seed

Environment

Range
South-western N. America - California.
Habitat
Heavy soils, vernal pools, low alkaline fields, hillsides etc, especially in grassland and alkaline marshes, to 1300 metres[6].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow early to mid spring in situ[1][4]. Seed can also be sown in situ in early to mid autumn but this sowing will normally require some protection from winter cold[1][4].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

An easily grown plant, succeeding in any well-drained soil, including nutritionally poor ones[4]. It prefers a sunny position[4]. Another report says that it requires a moderately good garden soil and a warm sheltered position[1]. An annual plant, germinating in the autumn and growing through the winter in California[6]. A second flowering can be obtained from plants if they are trimmed back after flowering and before setting seed[4].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  3. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

    ↩

  4. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  5. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩

  6. Munz. A California Flora. University of California Press 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2

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