Burke: Balsamorhiza careyana vs. Balsamorhiza sagittata

	Balsamorhiza careyana	Balsamorhiza sagittata
	Carey's balsamroot	arrowleaf balsamroot
Habit	Perennial from a woody, deep-seated taproot, with the numerous basal leaves and stems 2-10 dm. long forming a bushy plant.	Large perennial herb from a taproot.
Leaves	Basal leaves with long petioles, the blade mostly triangular-hastate, up to 30 cm. long and 15 cm. wide, green, firm, veiny, entire and often scabrous; stem leaves few, narrow and strongly reduced.	All basal, large with broad or cordate bases, densely grayish hairy.
Flowers	Heads several, small, the disk rarely more than 2.5 cm. wide; involucre only slightly woolly, the outer bracts seldom much enlarged; rays 8 or 13, 2-4 cm. long, persistent on the achenes.	Heads solitary; top of peduncle and lower part of involucre strongly white-woolly; rays 8-25, 2.5-4 cm. long.
Fruits	Achenes hairy	Achene glabrous.

	Balsamorhiza careyana	Balsamorhiza sagittata
Identification notes	The several small heads help separate B. careyana from B. sagitatta; also, the leaves on B. careyana feel like sandpaper, while the leaves on B. sagitata are soft and silky. However, the two species hybridize, and numerous intermediate forms are found.	Look for the typically densely hairy, silvery-gray foliage and involucre bracts; leaves are all basal.
Flowering time	March-July	April-July
Habitat	Open places, but not on lithosol, in the plains, foothills, and lower mountains.	Shrub-steppe, grasslands, and other open areas from low to middle elevations.
Distribution	Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; southern British Columbia to central Oregon. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to the Rocky Mountains and northern Great Plains. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	B. ×bonseri, B. careyana × B. hookeri, B. deltoidea, B. hookeri, B. hookeri × B. sagittata, B. incana, B. rosea, B. sagittata, B. serrata, B. ×terebinthacea, B. ×tomentosa	B. ×bonseri, B. careyana, B. careyana × B. hookeri, B. deltoidea, B. hookeri, B. hookeri × B. sagittata, B. incana, B. rosea, B. serrata, B. ×terebinthacea, B. ×tomentosa
Web links	Local floras: OR, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Balsamorhiza sagittata

Carey's balsamroot

arrowleaf balsamroot

Habit

Perennial from a woody, deep-seated taproot, with the numerous basal leaves and stems 2-10 dm. long forming a bushy plant.

Large perennial herb from a taproot.

Leaves

Basal leaves with long petioles, the blade mostly triangular-hastate, up to 30 cm. long and 15 cm. wide, green, firm, veiny, entire and often scabrous;

stem leaves few, narrow and strongly reduced.

All basal, large with broad or cordate bases, densely grayish hairy.

Flowers

Heads several, small, the disk rarely more than 2.5 cm. wide;

involucre only slightly woolly, the outer bracts seldom much enlarged;

rays 8 or 13, 2-4 cm. long, persistent on the achenes.

Heads solitary; top of peduncle and lower part of involucre strongly white-woolly;

rays 8-25, 2.5-4 cm. long.

Fruits

Achenes hairy

Achene glabrous.

The several small heads help separate B. careyana from B. sagitatta; also, the leaves on B. careyana feel like sandpaper, while the leaves on B. sagitata are soft and silky. However, the two species hybridize, and numerous intermediate forms are found.

Look for the typically densely hairy, silvery-gray foliage and involucre bracts; leaves are all basal.

Flowering time

March-July

April-July

Habitat

Open places, but not on lithosol, in the plains, foothills, and lower mountains.

Shrub-steppe, grasslands, and other open areas from low to middle elevations.

Distribution