Flora of North America species comparison

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Balsamorhiza careyana

Balsamorhiza sericea

Carey's balsamroot

silky balsamroot, silvery balsamroot
Habit Plants (15–)20–60 cm. Plants 10–30(–40) cm.
Basal leaves

blades green, rounded-deltate or deltate to triangular-deltate, 15–25 × 6–15 cm, bases cordate or hastate to truncate, margins usually entire, sometimes crenate (to dentate near bases), apices acute to attenuate, faces finely hispidulous to hirtellous (gland-dotted as well).

blades silvery, lanceolate or lance-ovate, 9–30 × 2–7 cm (1-pinnatifid, lobes oblong to oblanceolate, 5–35 × 3–17 mm), bases cuneate, ultimate margins usually entire (plane or weakly revolute, obscurely, if at all, ciliate), apices rounded to acute, faces densely sericeous.
Involucres

hemispheric to turbinate or campanulate, 12–20 mm diam.

campanulate to hemispheric, 11–20+ mm diam.
Ray laminae

20–30(–40) mm (cypselae strigose or glabrous).

15–20 mm (adaxially puberulous on veins).
Outer phyllaries

oblong to lanceolate or linear, 15–25 mm, usually surpassing inner, apices acute to attenuate.

broadly ovate to triangular-ovate, 12–20 mm, slightly surpassing inner, apices acuminate to attenuate (margins not ciliate).
Heads

usually (2–)3+, sometimes borne singly.

borne singly.
2n

= 38.

Balsamorhiza careyana

Balsamorhiza sericea
Phenology Flowering (Mar–)May–Jun(–Jul). Flowering Apr–May.
Habitat Dry scablands, semi-desert soils, openings in pine forests Serpentine outcrops, among surface rocks, in crevices, hillsides, dry streamsides among cobbles
Elevation 500–1000 m (1600–3300 ft) 400–1800 m (1300–5900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Hybrids involving Balsamorhiza careyana and B. deltoidea occur near the Columbia River Gorge; intermediates are found to the east and south. In northern Oregon, plants in some populations have glabrous cypselae and some populations are mixed. The hairiness may come from B. rosea; B. rosea and B. careyana may hybridize profusely, producing mostly plants with the stature of B. careyana and with the relatively short, brick-red ray corollas of B. rosea. Hybridization also occurs, occasionally, between B. careyana and B. sagittata; B. careyana also hybridizes with any species of sect. Balsamorhiza with which it comes in contact. Plants called Balsamorhiza careyana var. intermedia usually have crenate leaf margins and glabrous cypselae.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Balsamorhiza sericea hybridizes with B. deltoidea.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 95. FNA vol. 21, p. 96.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Ecliptinae > Balsamorhiza > subg. Artorhiza Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Ecliptinae > Balsamorhiza > subg. Balsamorhiza
Sibling taxa
B. deltoidea, B. hispidula, B. hookeri, B. incana, B. lanata, B. macrolepis, B. macrophylla, B. rosea, B. sagittata, B. sericea, B. serrata
B. careyana, B. deltoidea, B. hispidula, B. hookeri, B. incana, B. lanata, B. macrolepis, B. macrophylla, B. rosea, B. sagittata, B. serrata
Synonyms B. careyana var. intermedia
Name authority A. Gray: Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts, n. s. 4: 81. (1849) W. A. Weber: Phytologia 50: 358. (1982)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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