Lasthenia californica is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name California goldfields.

L. californica is an annual herb approaching a maximum height near 40 centimetres (16 inches), but generally staying much smaller.

The leaves are hairy, somewhat linear in shape, and about 1–7 cm (3⁄8–2+3⁄4 in) long.

[1] Large populations of this species bloom at once in the spring to produce the carpets of yellow on hillsides and in meadows that give the plant its common name.

It thrives in open fields and slopes at low elevations, especially in poor grassless soils with adequate moisture.