Burke: Balsamorhiza deltoidea vs. Balsamorhiza serrata

	Balsamorhiza deltoidea	Balsamorhiza serrata
	deltoid balsamroot, Puget balsamroot	serrrate balsamroot, toothed balsamroot
Habit	Perennial herb from a large taproot.	Perennial with an unbranched crown surmounting a carrot-like root, 1-4 dm. tall.
Leaves	All basal; large with triangular or cordate base, sparsely hairy.	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	Large, yellow sunflower-like heads with slightly hairy involucres.	Heads solitary; involucres smooth to strongly woolly, the bracts narrowly lanceolate; rays 10-16, 2-4 cm. long.
Fruits	Achene glabrous.	Achenes glabrous.

	Balsamorhiza deltoidea	Balsamorhiza serrata
Identification notes	Similar to B. sagitatta, but differs in being less densely pubescent, with the herbage and involucre green rather than grayish.	Of all the species of Balsamorhiza found in our area, only Balsamorhiza serrata has sharply serrate leaves.
Flowering time	March-July	April-June
Habitat	Prairies, open slopes, and forest edge at low elevations.	Rock outcrops and dry, rocky knolls.
Distribution	Occurring west of the Cascades crest and east in the Columbia River Gorge in Washington; British Columbia to California. [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	Review Group 2 in Washington (WANHP)	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	B. ×bonseri, B. careyana, B. careyana × B. hookeri, 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: 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	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 deltoidea

Balsamorhiza serrata

deltoid balsamroot, Puget balsamroot

serrrate balsamroot, toothed balsamroot

Habit

Perennial herb from a large taproot.

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

Leaves

All basal; large with triangular or cordate base, sparsely hairy.

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

Large, yellow sunflower-like heads with slightly hairy involucres.

Heads solitary;

involucres smooth to strongly woolly, the bracts narrowly lanceolate;

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

Fruits

Achene glabrous.

Achenes glabrous.