Flora of North America species comparison

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Balsamorhiza deltoidea

Balsamorhiza serrata

deltoid balsam root, Puget balsamroot

serrate balsam root, serrated balsamroot, serrrate balsamroot, tooth balsamroot
Habit Plants 20–90 cm. Plants 10–20(–30) 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 pale green to gray-green, lanceolate or lance-ovate, 5–15(–20+) × 2–5(–10) cm (earliest sometimes, later seldom, pinnately lobed, mostly toward tips), bases usually cuneate to subtruncate, sometimes cordate, margins usually dentate to serrate, apices acute, faces hirsutulous to scabrous.
Involucres

campanulate to hemispheric 15–30+ mm diam.

campanulate, 15–25 mm diam.
Ray laminae

20–50 mm.

(20–)30–40.
Outer phyllaries

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

lanceolate to lance-triangular, 10–22 mm, shorter than inner, apices acute to attenuate (margins ciliate).
Heads

usually borne singly, sometimes 2+.

usually borne singly.
2n

= 38.

= 38.

Balsamorhiza deltoidea

Balsamorhiza serrata
Phenology Flowering (Mar–)Apr–Jun(–Jul). Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Open hillsides, openings in chaparral or forests Basaltic scablands, sagebrush scrub, openings in forests, meadow borders
Elevation 60–1800(–2400) m (200–5900(–7900) ft) (1000–)1400–1500 m ((3300–)4600–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; NV; OR; WA
[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 serrata hybridizes with B. careyana. Leaves of the hybrids tend to be prostrate rather than erect. Most of the hybrids display the larger size of B. careyana and lack the pubescence of the heads; serrata-like plants never develop more than a single head nor do they have the pubescence of the cypselae.

(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. sericea
Synonyms B. glabrescens
Name authority Nuttall: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 351. (1840) A. Nelson & J. F. Macbride: Bot. Gaz. 56: 479. (1913)
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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