# spring gold (*Crocidium multicaule*)

Spring gold is a bright yellow flower that blooms in early spring. Its cheerful color brings joy to gardens and fields, making it a favorite among kids and butterflies!

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Snaps:** 2
- **Habitat:** Grasslands

![spring gold](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Crocidium_multicaule_2.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Thayne Tuason, CC BY-SA 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crocidium_multicaule_2.jpg)

## Appearance

The spring gold has bright, solitary yellow daisy-like flowers, each with numerous slender petals surrounding a dense yellow center. These cheerful blooms sit atop delicate, leafless stems that grow from a small basal rosette of green leaves. Its vibrant color makes it stand out vividly against spring landscapes.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Asterales
- **Family:** Asteraceae
- **Genus:** Crocidium

## Interesting facts

- Each 'flower' is actually a cluster of many small flowers, a clever trick of the daisy family!
- It grows so quickly that its entire life cycle, from seed to flower to seed, can happen in just a few weeks!
- Its vibrant blossoms are like a welcome sign for early bees, providing their first meal of the year!
- This tiny wildflower is one of the very first to paint the landscape yellow after winter snows melt!

## Special abilities

- **Speedy Sprout:** Spring gold can rapidly grow and bloom in early spring, letting it complete its life cycle before summer drought arrives.
- **Ephemeral Flash:** Spring gold has a very short blooming period, helping it quickly set seeds before larger, competing plants take over.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 5-30 cm
- **Flower Size:** 1-2 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Spring
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Annual
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** European honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Provides early-season nectar and pollen
- **Pollinates:** Mixed bumblebee (*Bombus mixtus*) — Important nectar source for queen bumblebees
- **Pollinates:** [Common drone fly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-drone-fly) (*Syrphus ribesii*) — Adults feed on pollen and nectar

## Traits

- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Ornamental](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ornamental): Ornamental plants are cultivated primarily for their aesthetic appeal, enhancing landscapes and gardens with their attractive foliage, flowers, or form.
- [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth.
- [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always look but don't pick flowers unless you have permission.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify spring gold?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is spring gold?

5-30 cm

### How big are the flowers on spring gold?

1-2 cm

### When does spring gold bloom?

Spring

### Is spring gold edible?

No

### Is spring gold toxic?

None

### What is spring gold's lifecycle?

Annual

### How is spring gold pollinated?

Insect

## Where to spot

- [Agate Desert](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/agate-desert) — Oregon, US · Nature Reserve

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

---

Source: [Spring Gold: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/spring-gold)