Burke: Balsamorhiza careyana vs. Balsamorhiza serrata

	Balsamorhiza careyana	Balsamorhiza serrata
	Carey's balsamroot	serrrate balsamroot, toothed balsamroot
Habit	Perennial from a woody, deep-seated taproot, with the numerous basal leaves and stems 2-10 dm. long forming a bushy plant.	Perennial with an unbranched crown surmounting a carrot-like root, 1-4 dm. tall.
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.	Basal leaves petiolate, green, scabrous, with prominent net-like veins, the blade deltoid-ovate, 4-29 cm. long and 2-8 cm. wide, sharply serrate, but also with some pinnatifid leaves; stems often with a pair of much-reduced leaves near the base.
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; involucres smooth to strongly woolly, the bracts narrowly lanceolate; rays 10-16, 2-4 cm. long.
Fruits	Achenes hairy	Achenes glabrous.

	Balsamorhiza careyana	Balsamorhiza serrata
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.	Of all the species of Balsamorhiza found in our area, only Balsamorhiza serrata has sharply serrate leaves.
Flowering time	March-July	April-June
Habitat	Open places, but not on lithosol, in the plains, foothills, and lower mountains.	Rock outcrops and dry, rocky knolls.
Distribution	Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; southern British Columbia to central Oregon. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring east of the Cascades crest in south-central and southeastern Washington; Washington to California, east to Nevada. [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. sagittata, 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: 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 serrata

Carey's balsamroot

serrrate balsamroot, toothed balsamroot

Habit

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

Perennial with an unbranched crown surmounting a carrot-like root, 1-4 dm. tall.

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.

Basal leaves petiolate, green, scabrous, with prominent net-like veins, the blade deltoid-ovate, 4-29 cm. long and 2-8 cm. wide, sharply serrate, but also with some pinnatifid leaves;

stems often with a pair of much-reduced leaves near the base.

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;

involucres smooth to strongly woolly, the bracts narrowly lanceolate;

rays 10-16, 2-4 cm. long.

Fruits

Achenes hairy

Achenes 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.

Of all the species of Balsamorhiza found in our area, only Balsamorhiza serrata has sharply serrate leaves.

Flowering time

March-July

April-June

Habitat

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

Rock outcrops and dry, rocky knolls.

Distribution