Burke: Balsamorhiza serrata vs. Balsamorhiza incana

	Balsamorhiza serrata	Balsamorhiza incana
	serrrate balsamroot, toothed balsamroot	hoary balsamroot, woolly balsamroot
Habit	Perennial with an unbranched crown surmounting a carrot-like root, 1-4 dm. tall.	Perennial from a carrot-like taproot, 1.5-7 dm. tall.
Leaves	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.	Basal leaves 1-4.5 dm. long, pinnatifid, the divisions 1.5-6 cm. long, entire or with a few coarse teeth, up to 4 cm. wide; a pair of reduced, pinnatifid cauline leaves borne just above the base of the stem; leaves silky with long, soft, tangled hairs.
Flowers	Heads solitary; involucres smooth to strongly woolly, the bracts narrowly lanceolate; rays 10-16, 2-4 cm. long.	Heads solitary, large; involucre very woolly, its bracts ovate or lanceolate; rays about 13, pale yellow, 3-6 cm. long.
Fruits	Achenes glabrous.	Achenes glabrous.

	Balsamorhiza serrata	Balsamorhiza incana
Identification notes	Of all the species of Balsamorhiza found in our area, only Balsamorhiza serrata has sharply serrate leaves.	The silky-woolly hairs throughout the plant should separate B. incana from our other species with pinnatifid leaves, B. hookeri.
Flowering time	April-June	May-July
Habitat	Rock outcrops and dry, rocky knolls.	Mesic meadows and slopes at lower to moderate elevations in the mountains.
Distribution	Occurring east of the Cascades crest in south-central and southeastern Washington; Washington to California, east to Nevada. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring east of the Cascades crest in the southeastern counties in Washington; southeastern Washington to adjacent Oregon, east through Idaho to Montana and Wyoming. [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. hookeri × B. sagittata, B. incana, B. rosea, B. sagittata, B. ×terebinthacea, B. ×tomentosa	B. ×bonseri, B. careyana, B. careyana × B. hookeri, B. deltoidea, B. hookeri, B. hookeri × B. sagittata, B. rosea, 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 incana

serrrate balsamroot, toothed balsamroot

hoary balsamroot, woolly balsamroot

Habit

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

Perennial from a carrot-like taproot, 1.5-7 dm. tall.

Leaves

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.

Basal leaves 1-4.5 dm. long, pinnatifid, the divisions 1.5-6 cm. long, entire or with a few coarse teeth, up to 4 cm. wide; a pair of reduced, pinnatifid cauline leaves borne just above the base of the stem;

leaves silky with long, soft, tangled hairs.

Flowers

Heads solitary;

involucres smooth to strongly woolly, the bracts narrowly lanceolate;

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

Heads solitary, large;

involucre very woolly, its bracts ovate or lanceolate;

rays about 13, pale yellow, 3-6 cm. long.

Fruits

Achenes glabrous.

Balsamorhiza serrata

Balsamorhiza incana

Identification notes

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

The silky-woolly hairs throughout the plant should separate B. incana from our other species with pinnatifid leaves, B. hookeri.

Flowering time

April-June

May-July

Habitat

Rock outcrops and dry, rocky knolls.

Mesic meadows and slopes at lower to moderate elevations in the mountains.

Distribution

Occurring east of the Cascades crest in south-central and southeastern Washington; Washington to California, east to Nevada.

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Occurring east of the Cascades crest in the southeastern counties in Washington; southeastern Washington to adjacent Oregon, east through Idaho to Montana and Wyoming.

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Origin

Native

Conservation status

Not of concern

Sibling taxa