Flora of North America species comparison

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Balsamorhiza deltoidea

Balsamorhiza sericea

deltoid balsam root, Puget balsamroot

silky balsamroot, silvery balsamroot
Habit Plants 20–90 cm. Plants 10–30(–40) cm.
Basal leaves

blades green, deltate or rounded-deltate to triangular-deltate, 10–25+ × 7–15(–20) cm, bases cordate to sagittate, margins usually crenate to dentate (at least near bases), sometimes entire, apices acute, faces usually sparsely hirtellous to hispidulous, sometimes glabrous (usually gland-dotted, sometimes vernicose).

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

campanulate to hemispheric 15–30+ mm diam.

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

20–50 mm.

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

oblong to lanceolate or lance-linear, (12–)30–40(–60) mm, usually much surpassing inner, apices acute.

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

usually borne singly, sometimes 2+.

borne singly.
2n

= 38.

Balsamorhiza deltoidea

Balsamorhiza sericea
Phenology Flowering (Mar–)Apr–Jun(–Jul). Flowering Apr–May.
Habitat Open hillsides, openings in chaparral or forests Serpentine outcrops, among surface rocks, in crevices, hillsides, dry streamsides among cobbles
Elevation 60–1800(–2400) m (200–5900(–7900) ft) 400–1800 m (1300–5900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Balsamorhiza deltoidea varies in the crenation of the leaf margins. The variability may stem from an old hybridization with B. hookeri or other species of Balsamorhiza. Otherwise, B. deltoidea shows little significant variability except where it hybridizes with B. careyana in the narrows of the Columbia River Gorge.

(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. careyana, 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. glabrescens
Name authority Nuttall: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 351. (1840) 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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