Flora of North America species comparison

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Balsamorhiza hispidula

Balsamorhiza sagittata

hairy balsamroot, hispid balsamroot

arrow-leaf balsamroot
Habit Plants 6–40 cm. Plants (15–)20–40(–65) cm.
Leaves

blades bright green, narrowly lance-elliptic to lanceolate, (6–)15–25(–40) × (3–)5–9+ cm (1–2-pinnatifid, primary lobes lanceolate to oblanceolate, 10–45 × 2–15 mm, secondary lobes usually divergent, antrorse), bases ± cuneate, ultimate margins usually entire (± revolute and/or thickened, often ciliate), apices acute to attenuate, faces ± hispidulous to hirtellous (gland-dotted as well; veins ± scabrous).

Basal leaves

blades ± silvery to white or gray-green, rounded-deltate or deltate to triangular-deltate, 5–25 × 3–15 cm, bases ± cordate, margins entire, apices acute to attenuate, faces sericeous, tomentose, tomentulose, or velutinous (at least abaxially, usually gland-dotted as well), sometimes glabrescent.
Involucres

campanulate to hemispheric 10–25 mm diam.

hemispheric to turbinate, 12–25 mm diam.
Ray laminae

15–40 mm (abaxially glabrous).

20–40 mm.
Outer phyllaries

lanceolate to linear, 12–20 mm, not surpassing inner, apices acute to attenuate (margins often ciliate).

lanceolate to oblanceolate or linear, (15–)20–25(–30+) mm, equaling or surpassing inner, apices acute to acuminate.
Heads

borne singly.

usually borne singly, sometimes 2–3+.
2n

= 38.

Balsamorhiza hispidula

Balsamorhiza sagittata
Phenology Flowering Apr–May. Flowering (Apr–)May–Jun(–Jul).
Habitat Basalt scablands and desert-steppe areas, juniper and sagebrush scrublands Openings, banks, flats, meadows, ridges, sagebrush scrub, conifer forests
Elevation 1800–2500 m (5900–8200 ft) (100–)900–2500(–3000) m ((300–)3000–8200(–9800) ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; SDak
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Distribution of Balsamorhiza hispidula is highly disrupted in the southern part of its range.

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

Balsamorhiza sagittata grows east of the Cascade-Sierra axis to the Rocky Mountains and Black Hills. It is one of the more spectacular of all spring-flowering plants in the northwestern United States. Hybrids occur along lines of contact between B. sagittata and almost all species of sect. Balsamorhiza except B. macrophylla (a high polyploid).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 98. FNA vol. 21, p. 95.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Ecliptinae > Balsamorhiza > subg. Balsamorhiza Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Ecliptinae > Balsamorhiza > subg. Artorhiza
Sibling taxa
B. careyana, B. deltoidea, 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. sericea, B. serrata
Synonyms B. hookeri var. hispidula Buphthalmum sagittatum, B. helianthoides, Espeletia helianthoides, Espeletia sagittata
Name authority W. M. Sharp: Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 22: 137, fig. 3, plate 5. (1935) (Pursh) Nuttall: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 350. (1840)
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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