Burke: Balsamorhiza hookeri vs. Balsamorhiza rosea

	Balsamorhiza hookeri	Balsamorhiza rosea
	hairy balsamroot, hare's head balsamroot, Hooker's balsamroot	rosy balsamroot
Habit	Perennial from a carrot-like taproot, the lax, nearly naked stems 0.6-4 dm. tall.	Perennial from a simple crown, 0.6-3 dm. tall.
Leaves	Basal leaves 1-4 dm. long, pinnatifid, the divisions entire to deeply toothed; stem leaves often with one or more inconspicuous, linear or pinnatifid bracts near the base.	Basal leaves petiolate, the blade deltoid with rounded teeth or nearly pinnatifid, 3-20 cm. long and 1-10 cm. wide, with short, appressed hairs aligned in one direction, prominately netted-veined; stems with a pair of linear leaves near the base.
Flowers	Heads solitary; involucre bracts linear to ovate, long-hairy at least marginally; rays 10-16, 1.5-3.5 cm. long.	Heads small, the rays 1-2.5 cm long but often 1 cm. broad, usually 10-16, becoming roseate in age.
Fruits	Achenes glabrous.	Achenes with appressed hairs aligned in one direction.

	Balsamorhiza hookeri	Balsamorhiza rosea
Identification notes	Our other species with pinnatifid leaves, Balsamorhiza incana, is silky-woolly throughout, while B. hookeri is sparcely hairy.	The short, broad ray flowers that become orange-red with age are unique to this species of Balsamorhiza.
Flowering time	April-June	April-May
Habitat	Dry, open areas at low to moderate elevations, usually in lithosol (rocky, cobbly soil).	Dry, rocky slopes at low elevation.
Distribution	Occurring east of the Cascades crest in central Washington; Washington to California, east to western Montana, southern Idaho, and Nevada. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring east of the Cascades crest in south-central Washington; south-central Washington to northeastern Oregon. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	B. ×bonseri, B. careyana, B. careyana × B. hookeri, B. deltoidea, 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. sagittata, B. serrata, B. ×terebinthacea, B. ×tomentosa
Web links	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	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

Balsamorhiza hookeri

Balsamorhiza rosea

hairy balsamroot, hare's head balsamroot, Hooker's balsamroot

rosy balsamroot

Habit

Perennial from a carrot-like taproot, the lax, nearly naked stems 0.6-4 dm. tall.

Perennial from a simple crown, 0.6-3 dm. tall.

Leaves

Basal leaves 1-4 dm. long, pinnatifid, the divisions entire to deeply toothed;

stem leaves often with one or more inconspicuous, linear or pinnatifid bracts near the base.

Basal leaves petiolate, the blade deltoid with rounded teeth or nearly pinnatifid, 3-20 cm. long and 1-10 cm. wide, with short, appressed hairs aligned in one direction, prominately netted-veined;

stems with a pair of linear leaves near the base.

Flowers

Heads solitary;

involucre bracts linear to ovate, long-hairy at least marginally;

rays 10-16, 1.5-3.5 cm. long.

Heads small, the rays 1-2.5 cm long but often 1 cm. broad, usually 10-16, becoming roseate in age.

Fruits

Achenes glabrous.

Achenes with appressed hairs aligned in one direction.